


Wicked Devotion

by afallenblackrose



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: F/M, only slightly different and dirty, sometimes i should not be allowed to write, this is basically cole and phoebe's relationship from charmed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-08-10 00:01:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 31,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7822393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afallenblackrose/pseuds/afallenblackrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's been running for 3 years from the only man she has ever loved. But he isn't who she thought he was. He won't stop until he has her again. When it finally comes time to see him again, can she fight her feelings and do what needs to be done?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Could Belong to the Night

This story begins like any other story. I’m going to be introduced to you, the reader, and I’m going to spill my whole life story, well, the parts that are most prominent for this story. But see, unlike other stories, this one will _not_ have a happy ending. Sucks, I know, but this isn’t a fairy tale, this is reality, and in reality there aren’t happy endings. It’s a dark world out there and it’s about time I prepare some of you for it so that way you’re not taken by surprise by it like I was.

So, let me start by introducing myself. My name is Serena Tsukino and believe it or not, I wasn’t such a cynic a few years ago. I was peppy, believed in love at first sight and yes, even happy endings. But all that changed. You see I’m not really as ‘normal’ as I appear to be. I am a witch, and a pretty powerful one too. I’m kind of like those witched on that TV show _Charmed_ only without the whole ‘power of three’ thing. I find innocents who are being pursued by demons and I protect them and defeat the demons. But the one thing the Charmed Ones got wrong was that it’s not easy to defeat a demon. They’re ten times more powerful than they show on TV, and a simple ‘vanquishing spell’ or ‘potion’ won’t vanquish them.

The two things they got right? Well, first there _is_ a _Book of Shadows_ , but it’s _not_ passed down through a witch lineage. It’s more of a ‘survival of the fittest’ challenge. I should know since it took me ages to find it. Which leads me to the second thing they got right. There is a ‘Source of all evil,’ and like that one witch Phoebe, I caught the son of a bitch’s interest while I was searching for the _Book_.

It was three years ago, when I got a major lead on where the _Book_ was. My search had caused quite a stir in the magic community, including the demon world. Everyone who was evil was out to stop me, but I kept defeating everyone who came after me. This caught the attention of the Source and he decided it was time for him to step in. When I first met him, in an arcade in Tokyo, I didn’t know who he was. I just thought he was some arrogant, playboy, millionaire.

I should have known better.

His name was Darien Endymion Shields and I won’t lie, he was handsome. I avoided him as much as I could, because I thought he was just another guy and only after one thing, but it didn’t work. Eventually, it got to the point where the daily arguments and taunting became much more and he asked me out. (Against my better judgment) I said yes. Things moved pretty quickly after that. We moved in together and I revealed my ‘secret’ to him. Things could not be better. I thought I had found ‘the one.’

But when I finally got my hands on the _Book of Shadows_ , he revealed who he really was. Only instead of killing me, he did one better. He confessed that he loved me and wanted us to not only join forces but also be his Queen. I denied his request and he tried to make me see reason. I defended myself with my powers and an outright war ensued. I barely escaped with my life and I’ve been in hiding ever since.

However, no matter where I lived over the years I was still in contact with members of the magic community and I know that Endymion is looking for me. Now, I know that he is on the move and knows where I am. He’s coming for me and I’m not sure if I have the power to deny his request this time. So, like I said before, this is _not_ your usual story. Things are about to get real interesting…


	2. A Single Rose Left to Remember

The morning light filtered in through my bedroom window and I couldn’t help but groan into my pillow. I didn’t want to get up just yet, but I knew that even if I tried to close the blinds with my magic, my alarm would go off making all attempts futile. So I snuggled deeper into my pillow again and tried to remember the dream I was having…

 _“Serena…”_ My eyes snapped open and I raised my head off the pillow to look around the room. I knew that voice and there was _no way_ it was possible for him to be standing in my room. I would have heard through the grapevine if he were close. Last I heard, he was somewhere in Florida. But it still didn’t stop me from looking around my room for the source of that voice. There was no one there. I groaned. I _really_ have to stop thinking that every creak and wind blowing is him coming back for me. I’m a _witch_ for crying out loud! I _should_ be able to stop the ‘source of all evil.’

I shook my head and removed the comforter from my body. There was no pint in trying to sleep in now. My whole body was awake and on high alert for a certain dark prince. I reached over and flipped off my alarm, knowing it was pointless to have it go off when I was already awake. As I removed my hand, a tinge of red on my nightstand caught my eye. No way...I moved in closer and felt my heart stop beating for the second time within ten minutes. A blood red rose, thorns still attached to the green stem lay on the nightstand. A black ribbon held a stiff white card. I reached for the rose, careful to mind the thorns, and flipped over the card. I felt like I was going to be ill as I read the inscription.

 _My darling Serena,_  
I’m curious to know how long you thought you were going to be able to hide before I found you. Something to discuss when we meet again, which will be very soon. And just to let you know, my offer still stands, my Queen.  
All my love,  
Endymion

I glared at the rose and the card with contempt. How _dare_ he! Just because you share a part of yourself with him he thinks he owns you! I yelled in my head, caught up in my rage, I padded into the kitchen and threw the rose into the garbage. Feeling better with the gesture, I set about to making coffee before I got ready for work. As I waited for the water to boil, I had time to reflect. I had shared my secret of my witch lineage because I _thought_ Darien was an innocent, arrogant yet, but an innocent nonetheless. But of course, he already knew my secret because he was the Source. _You think you know someone_ , I shook my head, knowing it was mostly my fault. I had been so blind to obvious signs that he was evil. The demons being able to find my innocents in their safe houses, demons showing up when I got a lead on a clue to the _Book of Shadows_ , but no, I was so naïve, I turned a blind eye to all of it until it was almost too late. I sighed and with my cup of coffee sat down at my kitchen table. It wouldn’t do to dwell on things that happened in the past. I had one large pressing matter to deal with now. Endymion obviously knew where I was and apparently he wasn’t in Florida like my sources had lead me to believe.

I waved my hand and the _Book of Shadows_ appeared on my kitchen table. There had to be a way, I couldn’t help but think, for me to block any entry into my house from him and his ‘minions’ and to alert me when someone tried. I flipped through the aged pages and skimmed to find what I was looking for. Just as I was reading a promising page, my doorbell rang. I already knew who it would be and waved my hand again.

“Hey Serena,” Andrew said as he walked into my hallway, closing the front door behind him. “You should be more careful, with that whole opening the door thing. For all you know I might be some poor flower delivery guy.”

“Ah, but I knew that it was you,” I replied and looked up at my best friend with a smile on my face. The smile quickly disappeared though when I saw what he was holding in his hand. “Please tell me you brought me those because you’re going to confess that you’ve been in love with me for months.”

Andrew looked at me like I was nuts and placed the bouquet of red roses on my kitchen table. “Nope, nothing like that. Found those lying on your porch. Thought I’d bring those in for you.”

“I was afraid of that,” I sighed and glanced warily at the bouquet and white envelope.

“You got a secret admirer or something?” He asked as he fixed himself a cup of coffee.

“Not quite,” I grabbed the envelope and slipped out the card, knowing it would be stupid to delay the inevitable.

 _My future Queen,_  
I’m so close, I can already smell your perfume. We’ll be together again soon.  
All my love,  
Endymion

My hand shook with frustration and I did the same thing that did to the first rose, I threw the bouquet, card and all, into the garbage. Much to Andrew’s amusement.

“Unwanted affection, I assume?”

“You could say that,” I said and sat back down, running my hands through my hair.

“Okay, tell me what’s going on,” Andrew sat down next to me. “I’ve known you for awhile now and I’m guessing this goes beyond your usual morning bitchiness.”

I looked at him and wanted to tell him off for calling me a bitch, but I didn’t because he was right. I was a real bitch in the mornings because I hated them dearly. If I could, I would sleep in until one in the afternoon every day. But he was right about another thing too. Andrew had known me awhile, a year actually. In fact he was the first person that I fully trusted after everything that happened with Endymion. So I decided to let him in on what was going on.

“Remember that guy I told you about when I first got here?”

“Yeah, Darien or something, right? Ooh, does this have something to do with him?”

“Yes. You remember what I told you about him _after_ you learned my secret? How he was the reason I moved here and how he was just plain evil? Well, he’s found me.”

“Well, that’s not good is it?” Andrew asked.

“No, it’s not. In fact, he’s the one who sent the flowers,” I replied. “He’s coming for me and this time, I don’t think he’ll take no as an answer.”

“So, what are you going to do? You obviously can’t run because he’ll find you again, but you don’t want to face him either…”

I nodded. “The only thing I can do is protect myself from him, or at least my house. It disturbs me to know that one of his minions was here in the house.” I shivered.

“Wait, what?”

“Those flowers weren’t the first ones from him. I found one by my bed this morning, with another cryptic message.”

“Creepy,” Andrew replied and glanced at the _Book_. “But, it explains why this bad boy is out. Got any leads?”

“I think so, but I’m going to have to improvise a little bit,” I skimmed the page I had been reading before he had shown up and nodded. Summoning a pad of paper, a pen and a candle, I got to work on my protection spell. He watched me work and after a few minutes I had it ready.

“Okay,” I said and ripped the page from the pad. “Hopefully, this will work.” I lit the candle.

 _Let the powers that be hear my plea_  
Protect my land from unwanted attack  
Visitors who wish to do me harm  
Should be cast out and me warned  
So mote it be.

I chanted it a few more times and then placed the paper into the flame. The candle flame burned blue and I hoped that the spell would work.


	3. Saw Your Ghost Here Tonight

After the spell, Andrew somehow convinced me to get up and get ready for work. Considering everything that had happened to me since I had woken up that morning, I was a little concerned with going to work. What if Endymion came for me at work? All those innocent people? But, I figured I needed a dash of normalcy in my day and he couldn’t be _that_ close, right? So I grabbed my purse and headed with Andrew out the door (making sure everything was safely put away, of course) and into his truck.

The ride into work was quiet, which I was thankful for. I needed time to think. How had I lost track of Endymion? Or a better question, what happened in Florida that made him leave so quickly and start his way North to me? I hadn’t lived in Florida and I certainly hadn’t passed through over the years, so what? Then a light bulb went off. Oh, no…

“Andrew, where did Mina go for that book conference this week?” I asked, hoping that I was wrong.

“Somewhere down in Florida, I think. Why?”

“She wouldn’t happen to go for dark and mysterious guys, would she?”

“No,” I almost sighed in relief. “But she does go for platinum blonde guys with piercing eyes. But again, I have to ask, why do you need to know this?” I sighed in despair. The description he just gave me fit Endymion’s right hand minion Kunzite to a T.

“I think I just figured out how he knows where I am.”

“No! Mina would never…”

“Sure she wouldn’t, _knowingly_. If he got her drunk enough, he probably casted a spell and probed her mind for the information that he needed.” No wonder Endymion had moved so fast without my knowledge. I usually only checked in once a week, because that’s how long it took him to search an entire state, two if it was large (like Texas, California). I hadn’t expected him to run into someone I knew while he was down in Florida. Stupid, Serena, stupid!

“Would they hurt Mina?” Andrew asked, his face now full of worry. Worry I understood. It was obvious to me, even when I first got here, that Andrew and Mina had a thing for each other. They weren’t dating and only because they were afraid of what our coworkers would say.

“I doubt it,” I replied, trying to ease his concern. “Endymion probably just probed her min and then had one of his minions take her back to her hotel room. The next morning she’ll just think she has a really bad hangover.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because even though Endymion would like his enemies to think otherwise, he’s really not as ruthless as he seems.”

“Is that why you fell for him?”

I didn’t answer Andrew’s question at first. Why had I fallen for Endymion? To tell the truth, I really didn’t know. One day he was an arrogant and insufferable jerk who I wanted to slap, the next, he was a sweet guy. Almost like a transformation over night. Something I still didn’t understand. For a guy who was supposed to stop me from reaching the _Book of Shadows_ , you’d think taking me out to dinner wouldn’t be part of that plan. Which only makes me believe that his feelings for me and his offer to be his Queen are more than me being a powerful witch. He really did fall for me.

“Serena?” Andrew drew me back to the cab of his track. “You okay? You look like you were lost in thought.”

“Because I was,” I murmured. “I can’t really explain why I fell for Endymion. Maybe it was because I didn’t know who he truly was, but all I know is that I did. And I really wish I hadn’t.” I knew it was a lie as the words left my mouth. How could you regret loving someone? Especially someone you thought was the one?

“I don’t believe that, Serena,” Andrew said, startling me a little bit. Had my lie been that transparent? “The only thing you regret, is that the guy you loved, turned out to be the Source of all evil. But, opposites attract, Serena, and when he comes for you, I hope you remember that.”

Okay, I hadn’t expected _that_ from Andrew. Remember that opposites attract when he comes for me? What the hell did that mean? Lucky for me, I had the rest of the drive to work to figure it out, since Andrew wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore. I could tell from the look on his face that he was really concerned about Mina. Something that made me feel bad. If it weren’t for me, Mina would probably be safe and sound down in Florida. Which led me back to what Andrew had said. Opposites attract. I still had no idea what he was talking about. Yes, Endymion and I were different, him evil and me good, but why did I have to remember that when he came for me?

Like I said, I got nowhere. I was really thankful when Andrew pulled into a parking spot in front of our office. Andrew and I worked at a publishing firm. I was Mina’s executive assistant and Andrew was a junior editor who worked for Mina as well. It was an interesting job and it was mainly because of the job that I hadn’t moved in over six months. I liked it here and didn’t want to give it up just to run and hide from Endymion. But, because I was selfish, an innocent was probably going to get hurt.

“Hey Andrew!” Our building security officer, Lita greeted. “Hey Serena!”

“Hi, Lita,” we replied in unison.

“Anything interesting happen yet today?” Andrew asked as he signed in.

“Well, actually, yes,” Lita said. “Flower delivery guy stopped by earlier with a rather large order of flowers.”

My hand froze as I signed in. I looked up hesitatingly and found her staring at me with a knowing smile on her face. I could feel Andrew’s eyes on me too and I was almost sick. He was sending flowers to my work _too_? Was he trying to make my life a living hell? I grabbed my bag from the counter and literally, ran into the building. As soon as I did though, I regretted it. I wanted to go and run back home. When I came in, everyone’s eyes were on me and I mean _everyone_. Even the stupid mail guy was watching me.

I felt Andrew walk in behind me and I don’t know what he did, but some people turned away and went back to work. But others continued to stare.

“Come on,” Andrew whispered and took my arm to drag me into the office.

“Andrew, I have a feeling I should just go home,” I whispered trying to ignore the looks.

“No, you’re going to your desk, you’re going to throw out those flowers and then you’re going to pretend it’s just another day at work. Forget what these people think, okay?”

I wanted to reply with something sarcastic and mean, but I refrained, knowing that he was just trying to be a good friend. Besides I had to save the energy for what waited for me at my desk.

Something that almost made me forget what Andrew had said and turn around and run. For sitting on every inch of my desk were vases of blood red roses. Maybe sixteen vases in all. Sensing my bewilderment, Andrew squeezed my arm reassuringly. With a shaking hand I grabbed the white envelope that was sticking out of one of the vases and read the card.

 _Serena, my love,_  
_These roses are nothing compared to your beauty. Something I can’t wait to bask in very soon. My imagination has been very creative over the last three years, Sere, but it still pales in comparison to the feeling of holding you in my arms or having you beneath me. Soon, though, we’ll be reunited and I will not let you leave me embrace._  
 _With all my love,_  
 _Endymion_

I grabbed the back of my office chair to keep myself from losing my balance. The last two notes had been stalkerish and sort of cold, but this one… _This_ one held some of the man I had fallen in love with. Almost as if I was in a trance, I could feel his arms wrapped around me like he had described in the card. **_NO_ ** my mind shouted at me. This was not good. _He_ was not good! He _was_ the _Source_ for crying out loud.

“Serena?” Andrew whispered.

“What am I going to do with all of these roses? I obviously can’t throw them out. People will be too suspicious. But they can’t stay…” I trailed off as I felt a warning go off inside my head. The house!

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the roses,” Andrew said coming up and taking a vase. “But you look like something else is wrong.”

“Something’s going on at the house,” I replied. “I have to check it out.”

“No, you can’t leave. People are going to think it had something to do with the roses. Besides, it doesn’t matter, right? The spell you cast protects your home from people trying to do you harm and warns you when it happens. Worry about it when you get home.”

“Okay, fine,” I sighed, knowing he was right. But I was still worried. It meant that _he_ was here and would probably be waiting to pounce when I got home. This was going to be a fun day.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, the workday came to an end and after giving most of the roses to the other females on staff, things went back to normal. Even though some did ask who sent the flowers to me. I just answered that it was an ex of mine trying to get back in my good graces, which wasn’t too far from the truth. But I was still anxious to get home, though I knew who could possibly be waiting for me before I made it to the front porch.

It took some convincing, but Andrew agreed to just drop me off instead of walking in with me. I felt it was safer that way, but my stomach still had butterflies in it as I climbed the steps. No one tried to jump me and I didn’t hear the very familiar velvet voice from my nightmares behind me, so I walked into my house. It wasn’t until I flipped on the kitchen light that I realized that the door was unlocked.

Realized a little too late…

“Hello, Serena,” I turned around gasping in surprise as my bag slipped from my hand and hit the floor.


	4. In Some Ways We're Kind of Evil

The first thought that went through my head was that I should have noticed sooner that the door was unlocked. The second was I should have known better than to think my measly spell could stand up against the Source’s power. I mean, seriously, whom was I kidding? Yes, I had the _Book of Shadows_ , but it didn’t really mean anything when I was a little bit…conflicted. I had been conflicted when I had first battled Endymion, because hello, the guy I thought that I was going to spend the rest of my life with? Yeah, total evil son of a bitch. To say that I was ‘conflicted’ when we first faced off, well, that would be an understatement. And you would think that after three years, I wouldn’t be so conflicted, but those notes that he’d been sending me all day caused those old feelings to return.

But when my cornflower blue eyes met a pair of violet, I knew that I didn’t need to be conflicted. The Sources was not the one who had broken into my house. So I had nothing to worry about. Well, not technically. If it were possible, the person sitting in the chair that I had just been sitting in eight hours before, was almost as bad as finding the Source in my kitchen.

Since they were related.

Ah, didn’t see that one coming did you? Yeah, neither did I, just another thing to send me reeling when I found out that Darien was the Source. So, Darien’s sister, Raye, and I were actually best friends. I knew that she was a witch; I just didn’t know what kind.

“Raye,” I said my voice void of emotion. “Not to be rude or anything, but what the hell are you doing in my house?”

“I came to visit my best friend. I haven’t seen her in three years, kind of rude, actually, Serena. I mean, who leaves without saying good-bye?”

“You know that’s not what I meant. And we’re not best friends anymore, since your brother is the Source of all evil. Or did you forget that little fact?”

“Kind of hard to forget,” she muttered and I could have sworn that there was something in her tone. But I disregarded it. Why did I care if she hated her brother? Didn’t all siblings hate each other just a little bit? “But as for your little spell? That was easy to get through when you left a loophole. I don’t mean you any harm.”

Ah. Now, that made sense. Guess I had a spell to rewrite in the morning. Since, even though I hated to admit it, Endymion didn’t mean me harm. But…that still didn’t explain why his sister was here.

“So, if you don’t mean me any harm, what are you doing here, Raye? Because you weren’t quite the Shields that I was expecting to see this evening.”

After the notes and the flower today, I could see why. But, Darien is still stuck in Ohio. He’ll probably be here sometime tomorrow, which brings me to why I’m here, or actually why _we’re_ here.”

“We?” I asked, but that’s when four men emerged from the shadows of the surrounding rooms. I stared at them, recognizing them at once, and not feeling safe at all. “You know, for someone who doesn’t mean me harm,” I shifted my eyes back to Raye. “You sure brought some interesting company.” My eyes went back to the four men. “Kunzite, Nephrite, Zoicite, and Jadeite,” I nodded my head at them in a semblance of a greeting. “It’s been awhile.”

The one with silver hair Kunzite, smiled at me, “Serena, it’s good to see you again.”

Kunzite, Nephrite, Zoicite, and Jadeite were Endymion’s four ‘generals.’ When I had first started dating Darien, he told me that they were his coworkers, which in a way they still were. They basically did Endymion’s dirty work as the Source. Like with Mina, they would gather information on his targets and relay it back to him. I didn’t really have a problem with them. They were actually really cool guys and if they hadn’t been working for evil, I would have considered them the brother that I had never had, but things were how they were.

“You didn’t hurt Mina, did you?” I asked him and he looked at me surprised that I knew that information.

“She is perfectly safe, and should be home tomorrow,” he replied.

“Good, I would hate for someone else to get hurt in all of this.”

“Serena, we really don’t mean you any harm,” Jadeite said walking closer to Raye. The two of them were seeing each other when I had left and apparently things had not changed.

“Excuse me if I don’t believe you.”

“Shouldn’t you though?” Zoicite chimed in. “Because if we were, your spell wouldn’t have allowed us in.”

Ah, damn, he had a point.” So, what are all of you doing here, and before Darien?” I asked conjuring up some more chairs so we could all sit down, which I was soon thankful for.

“Ah,” Nephrite said. “Speaking of our master…” he threw his hand behind him and when it reappeared a single blood red rose was in his hand. The black ribbon that surrounded the stem caught my attention. “This is from him.” He offered it to me and I took it with a great reluctance. Reading the note to myself, I felt myself shiver.

 _Serena, love,_  
I _f you are reading this, then my four generals and Raye are in your home and you should know that I’m not far behind. I can almost feel your milky skin beneath my fingertips. Remember how you made me crazy; remember how I made you scream? Because I do, and I can’t wait until I hear you scream in pleasure again._  
 _All my love,_  
 _Endymion_

I felt my face flush and I couldn’t help but think about those times that he wrote about. Like at the office, I felt those phantom arms surround me…Son of a bitch. I couldn’t help but swear in my head. He was evil! He stood for everything I stood against. I shouldn’t be feeling this way towards him! My anger was so immense that the rose and the card bursted into flame.

“Yikes, what did the card say?” Jadeite asked.

“It’s none of your business,” Raye answered and waved her hand to clear away the ashes. “Knowing my brother, it’s just something to mess with her head.”

“You could say that,” I said. “So why are the five of you here?”

“The five exchanged glances and Kunzite nodded.

“We all agreed that she could help.”

“Help with what?” My curiosity got the better of me.

“Serena,” Raye said with a great reluctance. “We’re here because we want to vanquish Endymion and we can’t do it without you.”


	5. Every Rose has its Thorn

I didn’t think I heard Raye correctly. There was no way that she had just said that they were there because they needed my help to vanquish Endymion. Even as I repeated it in my head it sounded ridiculous no it sounded insane. Why would Raye, the Source’s _sister_ , and his four generals want to vanquish their master? It didn’t make any sense, and I was starting to wonder if all of this (this whole day, really) was just one horrible nightmare.

“Serena? Did you hear what I just told you?” Raye asked, drawing me back from my zoned out state.

“I’m not sure if I heard you correctly, Raye,” I replied. “You didn’t just tell me that the reason the five of you are here is because you want my help in vanquishing Endymion.”

“That’s exactly why we’re here,” Nephrite said. “You’re the only person we know who could possibly help us.”

“Like there isn’t a whole Underworld of demons who would be happy to help you,” I scoffed and watched all their faces. There was no trace of humor, which meant that they were serious about this. This wasn’t a trick or a nightmare like I had thought. Which only made me wonder what Endymion had done to distance his closest allies.

“Yeah, there _are_ a lot of demons in the Underworld who would love to kill the Source,” Jadeite said. “But the problem with that is that they’d only help because they want the power of the position.”

“And that’s why you’re coming to me?” I asked. “Because I don’t want the position of Source?”

“Yes and no,” Kunzite replied. “It’s only a small part of the reason. Yes, we know that you don’t want the position of Source, but we came to you because of the power you wield and because you’re close with Endymion. If this has any chance of working, we think that the person has to be close to him. If it works at all…”

If it works at all was right. When Endymion and I had faced off that first time, three years ago, I had barely escaped with my life. Sure, most of it was because I was conflicted and the other was because I had just gotten possession of the _Book of Shadows_ and hadn’t tapped its true power yet. Things had changed since then, but still. Darien _was_ the Source of all evil and that _wasn’t_ just a title. It took a lot of power to get tot hat position (not to mention wicked cunning, but that’s a whole other story). No matter my level of power, it was going to take a lot to vanquish him, of that much I was sure.

“Will you help us, Serena?” Raye asked.

“I need to know one thing before I agree to this,” I replied, not a hundred percent sure that I really wanted to do this. It was going to take a lot to vanquish Endymion, and I might end up losing my life, but since he was the Source, it had to be done. It was the only way I would be rid of him. But there was still one thing I needed to know before I got into this.

“Anything.”

“Why do you want to vanquish him? I know why I do. But the five of you? It’s confusing, since Raye, you’re his sister, and the four of you,” I pointed to the four guys. “You’re almost like brother. So, why the sudden change of heart?”

“I am his sister, Serena,” Raye agreed. “Which is why I can say that the man that Darien has become isn’t my brother. I noticed the change almost ten years ago when he first took the position, it consumed him completely and he began to change into the horrible twisted demon. But when he met you, he became the Darien I had grown up with. In fact, there were a number of times during that period that I thought he would lose that evil part of his soul. But…”

“I obtained the _Book of Shadows_ ,” I filled in for her.

“And became a threat. The dark part of his soul couldn’t bare that, but he still loved you, so he offered you a position by his side. You refused and left. The changes happened again. He became the ruthless Endymion again and this time it got worse because he was obsessed with one thing.”

“Finding me,” I whispered.

She nodded, “It unnerved him, because he honestly loved you and he had never been rejected anything before. So he hunted for you and wouldn’t rest until he found you.”

“But that doesn’t explain…”

“Serena, I was never the evil witch that you claimed that I was. Just because I’m the Source’s sister doesn’t mean that I’m also evil. However, I did have to put on a façade to keep my brother happy, so that’s why I want to vanquish him because I’m sick of pretending.”

“And the four of you?” I asked after a minute. What Raye had said was a lot to take in. I could see that she wasn’t lying. She was not the evil witch that I had made her out to be.

“Our reasons are the same as Raye’s,” Kunzite replied. “We want to be able to live our lives the way we want. Endymion may be like our brother, but he’s lost himself in his evil and twisted ways and we don’t think that he can find the good part of himself anymore.”

I looked at the five of them, thinking about what they had just told me. Before I knew who Darien truly was, they had been my closest friends, and I had thrown them in with Endymion when I found out his true identity. Something I shouldn’t have done. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll help you, but you have to be certain about this. Once we start, there’s no turning back.”

“We understand,” they said in unison.

“Fine,” I sighed. “I’ll do some research tonight and then we’ll meet tomorrow and begin working. I’m not sure if what you’re asking can be done, but I’ll try.”

“Thank you, Serena,” Raye said. “I know that what we’re asking from you is a lot considering we didn’t part on the best of terms.”

“You know what? I’m sorry for not giving you the chance to explain. Then again, considering everything that was going on with Darien at the time, I’m not sure if I would have believed that you weren’t an evil witch. Or that you guys weren’t just his evil henchmen.”

“We understand,” Zoicite said. “After everything Endymion put you through that day, I wouldn’t have believed us either.”

“But how do you know that we’re telling the truth now?” Jadeite asked, stunning everyone in the room including myself.

“Jadeite!” Kunzite exclaimed, exasperated.

“No, no, it’s okay, it’s a good question,” I smiled at him. “Even if it is a little bit unexpected considering the source. But I can tell that you guys are telling the truth now is because I’ve been away from this nonsense and drama for the last three years. I have a calm and collected head on my shoulders. I can see reason, and I know that you guys wouldn’t risk Endymion’s wrath for no good reason.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Jadeite mumbled.

“Three years though,” Raye whistled. “So, what have you been up to?”

“Well,” I replied. I launched into an explanation and the six of us sat around and talked like we used to do before things had gotten way out of hand.

* * *

After the five left, instead of doing research like I told them that I would, I trudged right to my room, magically changed into my sweats and tank top, and collapsed into bed. Not that I could sleep. My mind was going on high with everything that had happened and kept getting stuck on one point. And it wasn’t that I was going to be vanquishing Endymion with the help of his closest allies. No.

Endymion was almost here. After three years of separation, we were finally going to meet face to face again. _Your milky skin_ …the words from his most recent note played over again in my head. I groaned into my pillow. There was no way that I was going to be able to sleep tonight with those words echoing back at me.

Sitting up with much regret I decided that I had better do what I had told the others and begin researching ways to vanquish the Source of all evil. I got out of bed and went back downstairs. As I turned on the light to the kitchen, my senses prickled, noting that something was wrong. What the -? My hand went to my mouth as I saw that every available surface in my kitchen was covered in blood red roses.

There had to be hundred of them. I didn’t even have to search for a card to know that these were from Endymion. But how had they gotten into my house? Unless…

I felt like slapping my forehead. The spell! I was supposed to rewrite and recast it after the others had left. But instead I went straight to bed. Which meant that…

“I told you I wasn’t far behind,” that familiar deep velvet voice said from the other side of my kitchen. My eyes flashed to see him standing, dressed in jeans and a black button up shirt, in the midst of the river of roses. “You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this day, Serena.”

I wouldn’t be finding a card in these roses because Endymion himself was in my house.


	6. Creeping Up on You

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…was the first thought that ran through my mind. The next? Well, let’s just say it involved a lot of four letter words that rhymed with duck and some…oh, forget it. You guys are old enough to handle my obscene potty mouth. So my second thought in its entirety: Fuck, why does he have to look so devilishly handsome? I mean, _seriously_ , I know I’m supposed to be a ‘good witch’ and all, but we did used to make love on a daily basis and it was pretty fucking hot, if I do say so myself. I would have to be totally void of all emotion to not react to _that_ gorgeous hunk of…

Right, you get the picture. I met those deep azure blue eyes when he let out a chuckle.

Oh shit, I forgot about those eyes and how easy it was to drown in them…Focus Serena! I chastised myself and broke my eyes away from his.

“What I wouldn’t give,” he drawled in that voice. “To be able to know what you’re thinking about right now.”

“You could just ask,” I snapped, without thinking. Great, the first words I say to him in over three years and they were pointless and stupid. Oh, how I would love to have a dialogue writer right about now. Brad Kern (one of several screen writers for the TV show _Charmed_ ) would have given me some kick ass dialogue to say to Darien (I mean, Endymion). Then again, anything would have been better than _you could just ask._

“Okay, then, what are you thinking about, Serena?” He asked me, throwing me off just a tiny bit. Gah. I forgot how blunt he could be.

“I’m thinking about how much these roses that you’ve been sending me all day must have cost you. You sent about, what, three, four hundred of them?”

“One thousand and ninety-five, actually,” he replied picking one out of the bunch and bringing it to his nose. “One for everyday we’ve been apart. Three years is a very long time, Serena. I’m curious to know how you were able to outrun me for so long.”

But I wasn’t paying attention. I was just stuck on what he had just told me. One thousand and ninety-five roses. _One thousand and ninety-five roses_. What the fuck was he thinking? I know most girls love getting flowers (especially roses) from their guy, but usually they’re just a dozen, maybe two, not over ninety-two dozen.

“I kept my tabs on you and moved when you got a little too close for comfort,” _like now_. I added on in my mind. “A thousand and ninety-five roses, that must have set you back a pretty penny.”

“Yes, almost two grand, but you’re worth it. Besides money is immaterial to me.” I felt like I had been slapped in the face. _Bam_ , you’re totally worth two grand of roses. _Bam_ money is immaterial to me. This was _not_ the Darien (fuck, I mean Endymion) that had swept me off my feet. Raye was right. He had changed. The warmth that I had seen in his eyes years ago was gone, replaced by a cold malicious glare. I didn’t realize, but my heart ached as if it was breaking all over again.

Fine, if he wanted to play this game, then we would play. He wasn’t the only one who had changed.

“Well, if money is really immaterial to you, then you won’t mind having it go up in flames,” I said and snapped my fingers. All the roses in my kitchen and the one in Endymion’s hand were set ablaze and within a few seconds were a pile of ashes. I waved my hand, and the ashes disappeared. I looked at Endymion with a cold glare. “Now, I suggest that you get the fuck out of my house before I turn _you_ to ash.” I turned my back on him and made my way back towards my room, feeling a little bit proud of myself.

But I should have known better.

“You know how much I hate when people turn their back on me, Sere,” he whispered from behind me, his arm on my waist, stopping me from moving. My heartbeat picked up. My imagination hadn’t been a hundred percent accurate. The ‘ghost arms’ were nothing compared to the real thing… “That was amazing, what you did back there, but you don’t get to walk away from me anymore. I’ve waited three years to get you back and I’m not letting you leave my side.” His grip tightened on me as if to prove that fact.

“Let go of me,” I hissed.

“Weren’t you listening? I’m _never_ letting go of you again.” His lips moved from my ear to my neck and began kissing the skin. Shit…I forgot how great that felt. I closed my eyes and kept my breathing steady. I couldn’t lose my focus right now to his kisses. Even if they were really addicting. His grip loosened on my waist and I took that opportunity to get myself out of there.

One second I was in Endymion’s arms, the next I was at the top of the staircase staring down at him furious. He looked up in surprise and in adoration.

“I told you, Endymion, get the fuck out of my house,” I said, glaring at him wishing I could set him ablaze.

“Make me,” he replied like he was a five-year old and disappeared in a flash of flame, only to reappear next to me a second later. “This saves time though.” He said leaning in.

“Get away from me,” I hissed.

“Come on, Sere, don’t be like this. You still want me, just like I want you.”

“Can’t you take the hint? I burned the flowers that you sent me. I don’t want you, Endymion. Now, I’m not going to tell you again, get out of my house.”

“So feisty,” he drawled coming closer. I moved away from him, but felt the wall behind me. I was a cornered mouse with a cat coming from me. He smiled and I shuddered. Oh, this was not good. Not good at all. I braced myself with an electric spell at my fingers but he stopped moving. In fact, he looked confused before he was no longer standing before me.

In fact, he was no longer in the house. I dropped the electrical spell from my fingers and went down the stairs, trying to figure out where he had gone.

“A protection spell on the house,” I heard his voice outside the front door. “But you forget one thing, Sere…”

I clenched the doorknob, trying to hear what he had to say, but I didn’t have to because a hand covered my mouth and he whispered in my ear.

“I’m the Source. One protection spell won’t stop me from getting what I want.”

And that’s when I lost consciousness.


	7. Keep Acting Like You Own Me

_Things could change in a blink of an eye. Serena understood that. Hell, as a witch she lived by that. Today was no exception to that rule. She was sitting at the local café waiting for Darien to show up for their lunch date when her friend Amy slid into the booth across from her._

_“Amy,” she greeted, surprised to see her bluenette friend there. “What’s going on?”_

_“Serena, I have news.”_

_The blonde looked up, her cup of coffee halfway to her lips._ I have news _, meant only one thing, since Amy wasn’t just her friend but was a fellow witch as well. A witch, Serena had commissioned to help her find the_ Book of Shadows _. With Amy saying that she ‘had news’ it meant that she had a promising lead to where the book would be._

_“And?” Serena found herself whispering. Her friend took a piece of paper out of her pocket and placed it on the table._

_“It’s supposed to be here, but be careful,” she replied. “My contact says the Source is also closing in on this location.” She got up to leave, but not before she ran into a dark looming figure._

_“Whoops, be careful there, Amy,” Darien said, his hands on her shoulders to stop her from colliding with his chest._

_“Sorry about that, Darien,” she said. “I’ll see you around, Serena.” Excusing herself, Amy left the café._

_“What was that about?” Darien asked as he slid into the booth that she had just vacated. Serena took the piece of paper that Amy had left for her and opened it._ 21st and Crossroads Street. _She raised an eyebrow. She knew the place this address would lead her to and there was nothing there but an abandoned building. Serena folded the sheet and put it in her pocket. It wouldn’t hurt to check it out. “Serena?” Darien’s voice drew her back to reality._

 _“Sorry, it’s just some information on my next assignment,” she replied. A lie. A lie that was unnecessary considering that Darien had known what she was for the last few months, ever since they had moved in together. But for some reason, she didn’t want to tell him what was really going on, what the piece of paper really was. It was probably because of what Amy had said about the Source. Serena knew that the Source wouldn’t hesitate in going after the person that she…well, had feelings for and holding him hostage until she handed over the_ Book of Shadows _. That is, if this is where the book really was._

_“Your next assignment?” He asked, and then froze. “It’s about the Book, isn’t it?”_

_“Yes, it’s about the Book,” she replied. It was moments like this that she wished that Darien wasn’t so perceptive. She was trying to protect him. She knew the Source’s reputation. She knew what he would do to Darien if the Source ever found out about him, and Serena didn’t want to see that happen. It would break her heart._

_“Did she give you a location?”_

_“Darien,” she replied, her voice laced with warning. She wanted him to drop this subject._

_“Okay,” he sighed, getting the point. “So, how was your day?”_

* * *

_Every single bone in her body screamed in protest as she went up the stairs to her condo. The heavy book in her hands was weighing her down, but she couldn’t put it down if she wanted to. She had worked so hard over the last three years and she finally had it. She finally had her hands on_ The Book of Shadows _. The abandoned building hadn’t just been an abandoned building. It was a Mecca for demons and witches. Crazily enough she didn’t face that many demons when she got the Book. Something that should have concerned her, but she was too tired to care. she opened the door to the condo that she shared with Darien and sighed in relief._

_“Oh, you’re home, Serena,” Darien’s voice floated from the darkness. She was about to say a response back, but the hairs on the back of her neck were standing at full attention. Something was wrong. With great hesitance, she turned and faced the hallway where she knew that he would be standing watching her._

_“Darien, why are you standing in the dark?” She asked wishing that the feeling would go away. It had to be because she was just so tired. That had to be it._

_“So silly of me,” he replied and the lights in the hall flickered on, and at that point, Serena wished that they had stayed off. Darien was standing in the hallway, at least she_ thought _that was Darien standing in the hallway. He was dressed all in black and there was something going on in his eyes that were unsettling her. “I see you finally got your hands on the_ Book of Shadows _.” He smiled and the nervous feeling in her stomach intensified._

_Just what in the world was going on here?_

_“Yeah, I did.”_

_He moved closer to her, “And now that you have, I have something that I need to tell you.” His voice became husky, his finger coming up and tracing her jaw, sending shivers down her spine._

_“And what would that be?” She asked, trying to keep her voice even._

_“I knew what you were even before we met,” he whispered, trailing kisses down her neck. Her brain was sending her warning signals. How had he known what she was before they had even met? And if he knew what she was before they met, did that mean he had purposefully hit on her? “And do you want to know how?”_

_“I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” she replied trying not to be seduced by his movements. She had a really bad feeling she was going to need her barings. A really bad feeling._

_“You’re a smart one, Serena,” he replied. “But the reason I knew that you were a witch before we met, was because I am the Source.”_

_Wait. Say WHAT?_

_She threw herself backwards, out of his grasp and enticing lips, and looked up at him with shocked eyes. “_ You’re _the Source?” She asked, her voice going up in hysterics._

_He chuckled, “Yes, I am.”_

_So many emotions filtered through her at his confirmation. Anger, sadness, betrayal. But mostly, she was hurt. Despite her best intentions, she had fallen for this man in front of her. He had accepted her so easily, she should have known there was something more going on. And she finally had an answer. He was the Source of all evil. He was the reason that her innocents had been killed as of late, and why there were demons showing up wherever she went. It was all making sense now. But why would he finally tell her this information? Now that she had the book, she could totally vanquish his ass._

_“Why would you tell me this_ now _?” She asked, anger lacing her voice._

_“Because now you have the Book,” he replied. “And I want to offer you a deal.”_

_“A deal?” Serena was surprised. That wasn’t what she was expecting._

_“Yes, a deal,” he said stepping closer to her. “You see, usually I would just vanquish you here on the spot. But I’ve come to know you, Serena, and you’ve done the impossible. You made my heart beat again. A heart I didn’t think could beat still, but it did when I met you. I’ve fallen in love with you. So, that is why I want to offer you this deal. An alliance between us.”_

_Her head was swimming. Had he just said that he was in love with her? But he was the Source! And he wanted her to join him? But…a headache began to pound in her head and she cursed all the energy she had spent on obtaining the book. Maybe if she hadn’t spent so much energy, her thoughts wouldn’t be so muddled. His hand reached out and cupped her face, startling her. How had she allowed him to get so close?_

_“What do you say, Serena?” He asked._

_“I say,” she replied, her fingers tracing his face. He was smiling, thinking that he had won. “That you’re the Source, and I would be an idiot to actually agree to your alliance. So, no way in hell.” She sent an electric spell through her fingers and Darien was sent reeling backwards. When he recovered (much too quickly for Serena’s liking), he looked at her with an amused expression on his face._

_“That was quite impressive,” he replied. “But you’re an idiot if you think I’m going to let you go so easily. When I want something, nothing stops me from getting it. Absolutely nothing.”_

**_*End of Flashback*_ **

I groaned as I found my way back to consciousness. It felt like someone had hit me with a whole set of encyclopedias. I opened my eyes and instantly closed them again. It hurt to have my eyes open. What in the world happened? I thought to myself and tried to think back to what had happened. Endymion had appeared in my house and I had tried to outrun him. He had me cornered and was cast out of my house. But just as I thought I was safe, he came back in…and knocked me unconscious. Oh, son of a bitch! With me unconscious, I was defenseless and since he was the Source, my protection spell didn’t work. That’s what had gotten me into this mess in the first place.

With a sigh, I opened my eyes again and was looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Well, I knew that I wasn’t going to wake up in my room or even in my own house, but it still unnerved me. I sat up to find out more about where I was, when I almost fainted again. I couldn’t breathe! What? I looked down and instantly groaned. I hated being unconscious because then you were at the mercy of whoever, in this case Endymion and he had taken advantage. My white tank top and flannel pajama pants that I had been wearing when I had gone downstairs that evening were gone. I was now wearing a black dress with a corset that had been tied _way_ too tight.

Damn that Endymion and his fantasies. I tried again to get up and this time was actually successful. I looked around to find that I had been laying in a king sized four-poster bed. I sighed and made my way to the door, when someone appeared in front of me. I stepped back, starting to freak out that it was Endymion again, when Raye and Jadeite appeared.

“Serena, you’re awake!” She exclaimed and hugged me.

“Yeah, just be careful, your brother did this bodice up too tight,” I replied.

“Oh, well, that can be easily taken care of,” she walked behind me and undid the strings. I took in a much-needed deep breath.

“So, I bet Endymion is enthralled,” I drawled.

“You could say that,” Jadeite said. “I haven’t seen him this happy in years.”

I sighed, “Great. Well, this puts a little hamper in our plans, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Raye said. “We’ll figure a way to get you away from his grasp again, just give us time.” She walked back to Jadeite’s side. “But we should go, he’s on his way up to check on you again.” Before I could say anything, they disappeared and a burst of flame signified the entrance of her brother.

“I see you’re up,” he said when the flame disappeared. His eyes roamed over every inch of me and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up again. “Now we can resume our conversation from earlier.” He snapped his fingers and my body sat down on a chair on its own. _Show off_ , I thought to myself. He strode forward and took my hands into his.

“I have been thinking about why you rejected my deal three years ago,” he said. “And the only thing I can think of is that that day was overwhelming for you, so you instantly rejected me.”

“Yes, because it has nothing to do with the fact that you’re evil,” I retorted sarcasm dripping from my voice.

“Don’t be like that, Serena,” he said. “I know that you have feelings for me. In fact, I might be so bold to say that you love me too. So that’s why, I’m going to ask again, only this time in a different manner.”

I opened my mouth to say something again, but he just looked at me, shutting me up instantly.

“Serena, will you do the honor of marrying me?”


	8. Once I Ran to You, Now I Run From You

“Serena, will you do the honor of marrying me?” He asked me, his eyes glimmering with hope. I didn’t respond right away. How could I? The man, who I had been running from for three years, had finally captured me and asked me to marry him. Was he insane? If I didn’t agree to his ‘alliance’ three years ago, why would I agree to his marriage proposal now? Especially now that I had time to _really_ think about all the evil he had done, the ways he had deceived me and even though I hated to admit it, made me fall in love with him.

But he knew what he was asking and of whom. And I knew that he wouldn’t be refused a second time, he wouldn’t allow it. Unlike last time, I didn’t see a way out of this one. I was as unprepared as I was the last time we had faced off. The only differences? I was stronger and had the time to prepare. Like I said, there was no way out when I said no. _If you say no,_ a part of me chimed in. If I say no, I repeated. Why would I say yes though? Yes, I loved Darien (the human/non-evil part of his soul), but I wasn’t being asked by Darien. I was being asked by the power hungry Source, Endymion. Or was I? If Endymion were truly asking me, he wouldn’t have asked for my hand in marriage. He would have asked for the alliance, but with Darien, he would ask for marriage. Which told me that he was the part that was in control right now. Confusing? Yes, but it could work out to my advantage.

By agreeing to his proposal, I would earn myself time to come up with some kind of vanquishing spell that would get rid of Endymion. I would also catch him off guard, and just as long as I tell myself that I’m agreeing to _Darien’s_ proposal, I could say it with a straight face.

“Serena?” He asked trying to get my attention. “You shouldn’t leave a man hanging when he just proposed to you.”

“Sorry, you just took me off guard,” I replied lying (only slightly) through my teeth.

“I’ve been known to do that. So, what do you say? Will you marry me?”

Three proposals to stay by his side for eternity, and I was about to make his day by agreeing. Goddess, help me, I muttered in my mind.

“Yes,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Oh, this was harder than I thought to lie through.

Endymion’s head snapped up and his deep azure blue eyes locked with my cornflower blue. “What did you just say?” He asked, his voice low, almost a growl.

“I said, yes, I will marry you.” My heart broke a little bit as each word left my mouth.

But his reaction was something I should have seen coming. His blue eyes darkened to black and his lips formed a smirk of victory, before he neared my face and crashed them onto my own. I somehow knew where this was going even before the kiss. Part of me was excited, because it had been too long (and Darien was _talented_ ), but the other part was scared. Could I really play this part to this extent?

I was about to find out, as things began to heat up very quickly. I forgot the way his lips felt against mine and how they made me feel. He broke away for only a second, and what he said next chilled me.

“I knew you would eventually come around,” he whispered into my ear. “Now, we can finally be together for an eternity, and rule the world together.” His hand took mine and pressed it against the inseam of his pants, where he was already hard. “See how turned on I get because of you. Just thinking about touching you, fucking you, after all these years…I hope you’re not too tired, Serena, because I ‘m going to ride you until you can no longer move.”

Well, hell, I was awake, _now_. And I was also a little bit disturbed, but more turned on than anything else. Endymion, as if sensing this, stood up and easily lifted me into his arms, bridal style. With great ease he laid me out in the center of the bed, the black skirt of my dress spread out around me. He smirked and crawled on top of me, his fingers hiking up my skirt as he went.

As his lips teased mine, his hand was also at work in between my legs. He grinned almost victoriously as he realized I was already wet.

“Oh, Serena, it’s been too long,” he whispered huskily into my ear.

“Then why are you taking so long?” I asked my voice just as husky. At this point, I realized there wasn’t a part for me to play. I still wanted Endymion. I couldn’t deny my feelings for him. So I didn’t need to act like I previously thought.

“Ah, my love, I’ve missed you,” he replied and he snapped his fingers. A rush of warmth spread through me and I realized he just spelled our clothes away. Apparently, tearing them off each other would waste too much time. His hands cupped my bare breasts and began to knead them, causing my nipples to harden. _Shit_ , I thought to myself feeling myself grow wet at the action. Endymion’s tongue lashed out and assaulted the taut, sensitive nipple. I moaned as he moved down my torso leaving butterfly kisses in his wake. My eyes flew open as I realized what he was going to do. _Oh hell,_ I thought as his tongue slipped inside me, and he began lapping at me. My head lulled back and my mouth opened in a perfect ‘o.’

Just when I thought I was going to come into his mouth, he moved out and looked up at me. He grinned a crooked smile and moved again so his member was poised right at my entrance. He gripped my hips and pushed himself inside. We both groaned in satisfaction and then he began to pump in and out of me, creating a steady rhythm. Filling me completely.

“Sweet, sweet, Serena,” he whispered as he drove himself inside of me again. “I miss being inside of you, and I’m hoping that no one else has had that opportunity while you were away.”

…Wait, what? I couldn’t believe he had just said that. Was he trying to be the alpha controlling male, right now? Was he being serious? I felt myself grow angry at his timing.

“And if there was?” I countered feeling bold.

Endymion stopped moving and leaned down, so his eyes were staring directly into me. “If there was, I would have this man tortured, slowly to death. So, be honest with me, Serena. Was there another man while we were apart?” His grip on my chin was hard and almost made me wince in pain.

I sighed and decided it was time to turn the tables in my favor. Using my strength, I flipped us over and was able to see shock in his eyes. Using my fingers, I began to play with his senses. I remembered everything that turned him on and used that now to my advantage. He groaned in satisfaction as my fingers trailed down. When I gripped his member, and he hissed, I leaned down and whispered into his ear, “Now, Endymion, are you honestly telling me that while I was away, you didn’t have a few of those demon sluts on the side?”

“No, it’s only been you,” he coughed out.

“I somehow doubt that. But, if that’s the case, then know this. During the three years I was running, I had no time for a lover on the side. But if I did, you would have no right to torture him. I am _not_ your property.” I released my grip and he began to breathe normally again. We were quiet for a few seconds, before Endymion grasped me and flipped us back over. He cupped my face gently, as he stared down at me.

“You’re right,” he said. “You are not my property, but you know how much of a jealous man I can be. I believe that you didn’t have a lover on the side during the last three years, but it doesn’t matter now, because you are _mine_.” He finished his statement by sliding into me again and beginning a new fast rhythm. He leaned down and took one of my breasts into his mouth.

It wasn’t fair, this assault on my senses, but I knew that this would happen the moment he found me. I should just be glad that I wasn’t tied to the bed. Even though, with him around it would be possible. As I felt myself clench around him, I bit back my scream of ecstasy. Endymion watched all of this with an amused expression.

“You know, Serena, I do have to say, that you’ve grown in the last three years, in a way that I particularly enjoy.” His finger traced the outline of my jaw and I instantly shivered at his touch. He leaned in and captured my lips again in a heat-searing kiss. “But considering you’re the proclaimed good witch, you haven’t been acting very good. In fact, you’ve been acting downright naughty and evil. Perhaps that’s the reason you finally said yes to me?”

Nope, the reason I finally said yes was to buy myself time, but of course, I couldn’t give that reason. Time to play my part. Now I just have to come up with a good lie.

“Or I didn’t want to run anymore,” I commented. Easy enough.

“Smart, but that still doesn’t explain why you said yes, considering how against evil you are. So what made you finally decide to say yes?”

Trickier. I sighed, “Does it really matter why I said yes?”

“No, I guess not, since you did say yes and will be mine.” He kissed my shoulder and I tried not to roll my eyes. Men, so easily distracted by ownership and sex.

_Knock, knock._

“Sire,” Kunzite’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Some of the upper level demons are here to see you.”

He sighed, “I’ll be right there.” He got up and gave me a disappointed look. “I hate to leave, but I have an Underworld of demons to control.” He snapped his fingers and we were both fully clothed. “I’ll be back to continue this later.” In a flash of flame he was gone. It wasn’t until he left that I realized that he hadn’t gotten off. Oh, was I ever in trouble when he came back.

Kunzite came into the room a second later and took in my disheveled state.

“I take it, things are going well in here?” He asked a smirk on his face.

“You could say that,” I sighed and sat up in bed, wincing at the tightness of the bodice again. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. This was going to be harder than I thought.

“At least he’s being distracted while Raye and Jadeite come up with a plan to get you out of here,” Kunzite commented as he took a seat in the chair.

“Yeah, well,” I caught sight of a black band on my ring finger of my left hand. “I think I sort of helped them along with that.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He asked me to marry him and I said yes.”


	9. Do You Know What You Got Into?

“He asked me to marry him and I said yes,” even as I said the words out loud I knew that I had officially lost my mind. What was I thinking agreeing to marry that demon? He didn’t love me. He loved the power that I could bring to his side. The opportunities that I was wielding. And yet…I couldn’t help but add on. And yet I knew that it wasn’t Endymion who had asked me.

Darien, the man who I had come know and fall in love with, the one who had let me in, had asked me to marry him. And since Darien was a part of Endymion, he had agreed and asked me, even though it also helped along his plans. But this hampered _my_ plan. I was hell bent on not letting Endymion live, but that was because I had forgotten that Darien was still there.

I had forgotten a lot of things over the last few years it had seemed. The only thing that had remained, that I had been clinging onto, was the betrayal that had happened that horrible night. The need to outrun and not become involved in any of his plans, once his betrayal had finally sunk in. This was not the person who I had fallen in love with. This was the demon, whose legions of supporters I had been fighting against.

Well, that had blown up in my face, hadn’t it? So what was I going to do? I couldn’t pull the demon part of Darien’s soul out and vanquish it…or could I?

“Serena, are you alright? You look like you’ve been drinking the demon Kool-Aid over there,” Kunzite’s voice broke into my train of thought. I blushed when I realized I had forgotten that he was there.

“Yeah, I’m fine, no demon Kool-Aid over here,” I replied trying not to smile at his joke. “But I think I just came up with a plan to get Darien back.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, “You’re just a book shelf of startling statements today, aren’t you? Before I even ask how you plan to get Darien back, let me ask you about this marriage proposal. How the hell did that happen?”

“Well, like with any marriage proposal, I guess, only you know, more Endymion-esque. He used his powers and forced me to sit in that chair,” I pointed at the chair he was sitting in. “Then he went on about how he had been thinking about what had happened three years ago and why he thought that I had runaway. He thought that it was because all the information that he had revealed that day was just too overwhelming for me to handle.”

Kunzite snorted, “Yeah, because it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was evil.”

“That’s exactly what I said. But he just shrugged off the comment and went on to say that he knew that I loved him and that’s why he was going to ask me to join him in a different way.”

“And then he asked you to marry him.”

“Yep, exactly.”

“And you said yes, _because_?”

“Because I thought about it and realized that if I even wanted a chance at trying to, at the time, kill him, that what better way than to plan his demise right under his own nose?”

“He wouldn’t expect it,” Kunzite chuckled. “Not to mention if you had said no, he would have probably killed you. Who would dare refuse the Source, a second time?”

“Yeah, that’s what I figured too.”

“So, how did you come up with this insane notion to get Darien back, instead of killing Endymion like we planned?” I then explained what I had come to realize a few minutes ago. This new development also shocked him. He had thought the same as I had. Endymion had vanquished Darien a long time ago.

“Are you sure that you can separate the two parts of his soul?” Kunzite asked me.

“I’m pretty sure I can, but I need to check with the _Book of Shadows_ first. To do that though, I need a safe place so I can summon it without Endymion’s knowledge.”

“And the other demons,” he replied and thought about it. “I know of a place, but the question is, whether or not he will let you out of this room and out of his sight for that long.”

“He better or else he’ll have another thing coming.” The thought that he would keep me locked up in here and only use me as a sex slave, made the blood in my veins boil with anger. If he even had the audacity to try such a thing…well, let’s just sat that his second brain would be detached from him _permanently._

Kunzite started laughing, “Damn, remind me to never get on your bad side.” I started cracking up too, realizing for the first time how much I hadn’t laughed over the last few years.

* * *

Little did they know that someone had been watching and listening to their conversation. Once it was clear that nothing more of importance was going to be said, the person disappeared. When the woman reappeared, she was not alone.

“What did you see, Seer?” Endymion asked her, an unusual calmness in his voice. The Seer smiled at the calmness, it hadn’t been heard in the Source’s voice for a while. But since the woman he loved had been found and he had brought her back, he had been in a better mood.

Too bad she was about to ruin it.

“Kunzite and Serena were talking,” she began.

“I’m not surprised, they used to be friends before everything happened. But were they able to mend that tear in their friendship so quickly?”

“Apparently, it had already been mended. They were speaking like old friends. He thinks that she is insane to agree to your proposal.”

Endymion frowned. How had things between Kunzite and Serena been mended so quickly? They hadn’t spoken since she had left. As the same for his sister and Jadeite, so that was why he was surprised to sense them in his room before he had arrived. Yes, he had sent the group out to scout out Serena’s house to make sure it was actually her place of residence before he arrived, but he didn’t think that they actually stayed and talked. But they obviously had, and Serena had forgiven them for the part they had played in his betrayal. Yet that still didn’t make sense. That’s why he had sent the Seer to spy on Serena when he had left her to take care of the unruly demons.

“And what does she think of my proposal?”

“She agrees with Kunzite. She is insane to agree to your proposal, but she is done running from you.”

That was the same thing that she had told him. But he knew that there was something else going on. She had been running for three years. Avoiding him at all costs. Burning the roses that he had sent to her as gifts. Protecting her home from people trying to harm her. Even the second before he had proposed, she was adamant against him. She did not wish to join his evil clan. But after saying those nine words, she had just melted? No. She had a motive. He just didn’t know what it entailed.

“Did anything else happen, that I need to know about?”

But somewhere in the middle of his thinking, the Seer herself had tuned out the conversation that they had been having. Her eyes were clouded over. She was experiencing a vision. A vision that showed her the path that she needed to take to make things right. Her answer was clear. When she came back, the Source was looking at her expectantly.

“Nothing else happened that you need to know about,” she replied. “But I suggest, you let her out of the room occasionally. She thinks you are only keeping her so that she can be your own personal sex slave.”

Endymion grinned at that. Serena would think that about him. Speaking of that he had some things to take care of. Or _unfinished business_ as it was.

“Thank you, Seer,” he said and disappeared in a ball of flame. She watched him go and made sure that he was gone before she turned to her cauldron to watch the vision again. She had lied to the Source. That was the first time that she had ever done so. He killed demons for doing such things, but the Seer had her reasons. She needed to aid Serena in her quest and hopefully the girl would succeed. Or else there would be no good and evil wars anymore.

The world as they knew it would cease to exist.

* * *

Endymion appeared outside the door to his rooms, sensing Serena’s presence within. It somewhat thrilled him to know that she was on the other side of that door waiting for him to appear. He had missed that over the last three years. But now that he had it back, he still didn’t trust that it was real. In fact, he half expected her to try and run again. That was why he had had the Seer watch over her.

Yet it seemed that he couldn’t even trust the Seer. He knew that she had lied to him. Something had transpired between Serena and Kunzite, but the Seer wouldn’t say what. His best friends and even his own sister, they were all lying to him. It seemed that he couldn’t trust anybody anymore.

But he was about to change all of that. Serena would spill her true reasons for why she had agreed to his proposal. He knew how to work that girl. He knew her only weakness.

Himself.


	10. I'm Under Your Spell

After Kunzite left, I felt somewhat better. I was closer to getting rid of a major problem and keeping the love of my life. The only problem was that person was one in the same. Well, at least, _part_ of him was. Endymion was the major problem in my life and Darien, the guy he shared his soul with, was the love of my life. To get Darien back I had to destroy Endymion, and hopefully that wouldn’t end with me accidentally killing Darien. Now, the only complication was whether or not Endymion was going to let me out of the room by myself anytime soon. He’d better if he knew what was good for him. I was not someone who liked to be caged. Speaking of, I was getting really sick and tired of this corset. I got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom hoping that I could somehow undo the strings and slip out of this deluded version of Endymion’s wet dream. But as I tried to reach the strings they kept slipping from my grasp.

“Son of a bitch,” I muttered, as I felt the corset tighten some more. At this rate, I was going to kill myself in this bloody thing before I ever got it off. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re even sane, Endymion…” I kept muttering under my breath as I realized that all attempts were futile. This corset was _not_ coming off by physical means. The only way it would was by magic, which was great for me because I didn’t know if my magic would work in the demon’s underworld. I snapped my fingers and the corset disappeared. Before I could replace it with a more sensible (and comfortable) outfit, Endymion rushed into the room.

“And just where do you think you’re going, Serena?” He asked, furious before he realized what was going on. It took him a minute but his eyes finally seemed to focus and he took in the scene. I was stark naked in his bathroom and things hadn’t finished with him earlier.

Oh, fuck.

* * *

_Five minutes before_

The best way to get her to talk was to use himself since he was her greatest weakness. He had been ever since he ad started this game. Endymion gathered his composure and walked into his room only to find it empty. He looked around angry that Serena seemed to not be in the room. Where the hell could she have gotten to? She was just in the room a few moments ago. She couldn’t have left already. She _wouldn’t_ leave. Not after knowing how he felt about her and what he went through to get her back.

“Where did you get to, Serena?” He whispered to himself and tried again to feel for her presence. A flash of an energy burst from the bathroom sent him running. She was really trying to escape. Like hell if he was going to let her. He rushed into the room and started to yell.

“And just where do you think you’re going, Serena?” He was pissed. How dare she! After everything he thought that he finally had her. Endymion had thought that he had won.

But then his eyes focused and he realized what he had just walked in on. She hated that corset that he had the maids change her in to, and she was trying to get out of it. His eyes travelled down her frame and he remembered that he hadn’t let himself come before. The blood began to rush and heat started to flood.

The staring match began.

* * *

I was frozen. I didn’t know what to do. I was naked and in a confined space. Oh, hell, how the hell had _that_ happened? His eyes bore into me and I felt a flush of heat cover my body. It was crazy how many times you could be naked in front of somebody and still feel a slight embarrassment.

Apparently that was the wrong thing for my body to do, because the next thing I knew I was pressed up against the shower wall with Endymion pressed along my body. Shit…

“Damn it, Serena…” he rasped before crashing his lips onto mine. The fire from before rekindled and I lost myself to it quickly. His tongue lightly swept over my bottom lip, begging for entrance into my mouth, and I opened up. Our tongues danced together and I felt the heat pool in my stomach. This was a different kind of kiss. It was like Darien was kissing me, not Endymion, but that couldn’t be. Right? He broke the kiss to let us gasp for air, and as I was taking in the much-needed oxygen, I saw it in his eyes.

Somehow Darien had broken through. The blackness of his eyes that I was used to when Endymion was full of lust, weren’t black. They were his usual azure blue. This was the man that I had fallen in love with. Noticing my gaze, he only smiled. _He smiled_ , I couldn’t help but think with a giddiness that wasn’t me. Or at least that hadn’t been me in three years.

His fingers were in my hair and his head was just below my collarbone. He nipped at the skin there before sighing. “I’ve missed you so much, Sere.” He placed a kiss where he had nipped at the skin and I felt my eyes roll back into my head. He had used the nickname that he had given me before I learned the truth. The one that Endymion didn’t use. _Oh, Darien_ …I couldn’t help but think in my head feeling dampness between my legs. I needed him now.

He smiled as he trailed his fingers down to the wetness. “You’re so wet,” he whispered. And I almost moaned in approval. He stuck a finger inside of me and began pumping very slowly. If it weren’t for the hard linoleum shower wall behind me, I would have thrown my head back in pleasure. He quickened the pace and added another finger throwing me to the brink.

“What were you thinking by saying yes to him?” He mumbled as he took me higher. “You’ve been running all this time, and when he finally captures you, you give in no questions asked? Sere, I have to know, why?” His fingers stilled and he removed them, allowing me some time for my mind to clear. What he was asking of me finally sunk in. He really wanted to know why I had said yes to him? Was he crazy? Or, comprehension finally dawned on me and I controlled myself to keep it off my face. Endymion was tricking me by pretending to be Darien. A part of him, he realized that was my weakness. That sneaky son of a bitch.

Fine, if he wanted to play it that way, we would play. He should have known from earlier that I could play tricks too. I snapped my fingers and had him instantly disrobed. Before he could ask questions or realize I knew his game, I did the only thing I knew I could do.

I went down on him.

I took his penis and put it into my mouth. As soon as he realized what I was doing he jerked his hips forward a bit, thrusting deeper into my mouth. Almost until I could feel him against the back of my throat. I didn’t flinch or gag, knowing what I had to do. He forgot that I knew his weakness too.

I took my tongue and slid it up and down his shaft. I heard him moaning and knew that he was under my spell now. I quickened my pace and even threw in a little suck here and there. With his harsh intake of breath I knew he was there. He bucked deep into my mouth before he came. And I swallowed it all.

I felt his fingers in my hair before he pulled me off of him and upwards. When I finally looked into his eyes they were back to black and were hazed over with lust. I grinned as I stepped away from him and out of the shower. With a snap of my fingers, I was fully clothed in jeans and a black tank top. He continued to look at me totally lost for words.

“How - ” he choked out.

I smiled, “I told you, Endy, I’m not the girl you knew three years ago. I don’t give in that easily anymore.” I turned on my heal and walked out into the bedroom. But that was as far as my journey went. He wasn’t that far behind me and when I turned around to face him that look was back in his eyes.

“You’ve turned into quite the sexy little minx, haven’t you?” He asked, his voice husky. His hands were on my hips before I knew what to say in response. Then we were moving toward the bed as his hands travelled up underneath my tank top. He fondled my bare breasts and this time I did throw my head back in pleasure. Damn, even after all of that, I _still_ wanted him. He seemed to revel in this fact too as his lips found min and he ripped off my tank top. Even through the thick fabric of my jeans, I could feel his erection pressed against my crotch. Shit, he had a raging libido. He grinded against me, causing enough friction that I almost came right there. I was still worked up from what had happened in the shower and just the slightest nudge was going to send me over the edge.

Endymion as if sensing this brought his hands to the snap of my jeans and pushed me down onto the bed. In what seemed like no time, he had me out of them.

“No underwear?” He mumbled into my left breast. “Minx.” He slipped two fingers inside of me and we both moaned at the contact. He pumped slowly at first, but then picked up the pace. He was being tortuous about this and he knew it too. He knew that it wasn’t his fingers that I wanted inside of me.

He looked up at me and I met his gaze straight on. I’m not sure what he saw there, but it must have been the answer he was looking for because in one fluid motion his fingers were gone and instead… _Oh, yes_ I thought in my mind as I felt him fill me completely. I hooked my legs around his torso, pulling him deeper and he grunted at the contact. He down at me through hooded eyes and I saw something there that I hadn’t earlier. This round of sex wasn’t about domination as it had been before. There was tenderness in his eyes, almost like he was in love.

The thought shocked me so much, I felt my walls clench and we both went into oblivion.

* * *

Endymion had fallen asleep, but I was still awake. Had I really seen love in his eyes before, or was that just something fueled by the sex that we were having? I tried to wrap my head around it. The Source of all-evil couldn’t be in love. It just wasn’t possible for a being of evil to love. But yet… a voice nagged in the back of my head, I saw it as clear as day in his eyes. He was in love with me.

“If you think any harder, eventually I will be able to hear your thoughts,” he said from beside me.

“I thought you were asleep?” I countered, surprised.

“Not when I can feel how distressed you are,” he flipped me over onto my back and I found him on top of me again. “What’s wrong, Serena?” He trailed a finger down the side of my face. I closed my eyes at the touch.

“There’s something different about you,” I whispered, my eyes still closed. “You’re not the same as you were when I first got here.” I opened my eyes to see how he was going to react to this. And I was glad that I did.

He smiled, “Mhm. You’re right. I am different.”

“Why?” I asked surprised that he was agreeing with me.

“Because after three years of living without you, I finally have you back. You don’t know what your absence did to me. I became so much ‘different,’ than the man that you remembered. You keep me sane, Sere.” My mouth was torn agape by the nickname. Only Darien called me that. Endymion had refused to, but now, it seemed that he was changing. I didn’t know what else to say after that. So the guys and Raye had been right. He had been an evil monster without me.

“I’m not the only one who’s different,” he whispered and I looked back at him.

“What?”

“You’re different too. You’ve become so wicked and do I dare say, evil since you’ve been away. It’s incredibly sexy.” He placed a chaste kiss on my shoulder and I really didn’t know what to say. Had I become ‘evil’ like he said? I thought back on the things that I had done in the shower to get my way, and I cursed mentally. That was definitely something an evil temptress would do. God, what was I becoming?


	11. There's Nobody Else Who Can Hurt Like You Hurt Me

My decent into depression was slow. If that’s what you even wanted to call it. It could have easily been denial, but I preferred to look at it as depression. There was no other reason for why my ‘spark’ seemed to dim after that. But like I said it began slowly. At first he didn’t notice that something was affecting me. Or at least, I don’t think he did. He left in the morning and came back to me at night. I let him use me in any way he saw fit, and I’m not going to say that it wasn’t pleasurable for the both of us, because it was. But eventually, it just became mechanical. That’s when he started to notice.

He became concerned when I didn’t start to complain about being cooped up in the room all day while he controlled his demon underworld. A full week had passed before he brought it up and I barely even flinched when he did.

“You do realize that you can leave this room when you want to,” he began after our love making session. “It’s not like I’m holding you prisoner or anything. You are free to come and go as you please. The demons won’t hurt you, not if they know what’s good for them.”

“That’s good to know,” I said, my voice dull and flat. I barely even looked at him. Like I said things had become mechanical for me. It was like I wasn’t even in my body anymore. Endymion seemed to take an interest to this and placed his hand under my chin forcing me to look at him. What he saw caused him to flinch.

“What’s going on with you, Serena?” He murmured. “You should have been chomping at the bit days ago to get out of this room. In fact, you should have been acting mad at me for keeping you here and treating you almost like a sex slave. Something is wrong. Won’t you tell me?”

I sighed and forced my chin away from his fingers. Finally away from his prying eyes, I was able to keep silent. He let it go, but he was reluctant to do so. I don’t think he cared that I wasn’t excited to get out of his room, because that way he knew I wouldn’t be running anytime soon. But it only got worse from there.

The next day, while he was out of the room doing goddess knows what, I had finally lost the battle with myself. The only way to prove once and for all if what I had done was evil or not, I knew what I had to do. It was really stupid to do what I was about to do while in the heart of the lions den, but I had to know if I had somehow flipped the switch. I sat up in the bed and concentrated hard on summoning the _Book of Shadows_.

After a few minutes of being unsuccessful I had my answer. The tricks that I had been pulling while down here and trying to get what I wanted had backfired on me. Endymion was right. I was evil. The revelation sent me deeper into my hole of depression. That night when he came for me, I pretended I was asleep. I needed a detox from him and his poison that he kept pushing on me whenever we were together. He didn’t seem to mind that night.

But the following morning, he sent his brothers and sister to check up on me. Surprisingly, the visit helped. When they appeared in my room, I sat up surprised at their appearance. Raye rushed over to my side and pushed back my unkept and greasy hair. I hadn’t showered in over a week. But she didn’t flinch at the contact of my greasy strands on her fingers. The men looked at me with shocked expressions. They had never seen me like this, and I almost laughed knowing that the last time I was like this was when I had first began running from _him_. It’s amazing how much the one you claim to love can hurt you and make you into such a mess.

“Serena, what’s going on? My brother said that you haven’t been yourself lately. That he thought you could use our companionship,” Raye said looking me in the eye. Like her brother she flinched at what she saw in my eyes.

“I’m not sure if your companionship can help me,” I whispered my voice hoarse from not using it the last few days. “Not unless you can bring back the man I love from this evil being he has become and restore me to what I was too.” I looked away from their prying eyes, which as soon as my statement left my mouth began to bore into me like lasers.

“What are you talking about?” Kunzite asked. “You are still the person you were when you came down here almost a week ago. We still see someone who wants to help save the source from his evil ways.”

“I do want to help him, but I’m afraid I can’t. Not like this.”

“Not like what?” Zoicite asked.

“Not when I’m evil like him,” I replied.

“WHAT?!” They all exclaimed in unison.

“You can’t be evil,” Raye added further.

“It’s impossible for you to be evil, Serena. You’re just too good,” Jadeite said.

“Tell that to the _Book of Shadows_ ,” I retorted and filled them in on what had been going on over the last few days and my inability to summon the _Book_ to me. With each revelation their eyes grew wide in surprise. But at the end of my tale, they just shook their heads.

“Serena, the only reason the _Book of Shadows_ isn’t coming to you when you summon it, is because your heart is conflicted,” Zoicite said. “You think you have turned evil while trying to seduce Endymion, and he has added fuel to the fire by calling you an evil seductress.”

I just stared at him, as what he said hit me, like a slap in the face. He was always the logical one when we were friends back in the day. And what he said, right now made sense. Why else did I stop sleeping with Endymion yesterday? Because I didn’t want his poison to keep seeping through my veins. If I continued, who knew what would happen? I breathed in deep. It looked like I was going to have to keep continuing on with that portion of my plan.

“You’re right,” I said, looking at all of them. “It is his fault that I think I’ve become something that I can never be. Thank you for making me see reason.”

They all smiled, as they saw a familiar spark twinkle in my eye.

“There’s the girl we know and love,” Raye said, giving me a hug. “Are you ready to finally leave this room?”

“Yes, but first I need to shower. I’m a total mess right now.” I got up and out of bed real quick before dashing into the shower. It was time to begin the plan to rescue Darien from the demon within him.      

* * *

After a nice long hot shower, I changed into another pair of jeans and a comfortable t-shirt. I walked into the bedroom again, to find only Kunzite waiting for me.

“What happened to the others?” I asked, confused.

“They figured that all of us didn’t have to escort you through the demon underworld. Besides I know where we need to go. You ready?” I nodded my head and followed him, for the first time, out of the room that I had been in for over a week. The dark cave walls were alight by wooden torches spaced out down the long hallway. To me it looked like the hallway continued on forever, but it was probably just an illusion. There were a few demons wandering about, but they didn’t pay Kunzite and me much mind. When the saw me, they just quickly bowed their heads as if offering respect to their queen. Which in a weird way, I realized that I was.

“This is so weird,” I whispered to Kunzite as we continued on our way.

“It is,” he agreed. “But what do you expect? Endymion did tell them that you’re his queen.”

I shook my head, knowing that it was only a promise I had made to get rid of Endymion once and for all. By making him believe that I wanted to be his queen, I would be able to hopefully cast a spell to remove him from Darien’s body and vanquish him forever. IF there was such a way…

Kunzite stopped and waited for a pair of shape shifting demons to walk away before he pulled me into another room off the hallway. I took a minute to look around and was shocked to see a lot of spell materials in the room. I was expecting some sort of empty closet or something.

“What is this room?” I asked.

“It is mine,” a woman’s voice sounded from behind me. I squeaked in surprise and turned around fast, an electricity spell in my hands. A woman, with dark long brown hair, stood behind me. Her eyes were ruby in color and the way the fire from the torches hit her hair, it almost looked green.

“Do not fret so, Serena,” she continued as she took in the crackling around my fingers. “I do not wish you any harm, in fact, I am here to lend my assistance to your cause.”

“Can we trust her?” I asked Kunzite, slightly taken aback. I thought the only ones who wanted Endymion’s demise were the four guys and his sister, Raye. This new woman was a surprise, and I was really curious to know who she was.

“You can trust her,” he replied, nodding his head. “This is the Seer, who knew where to find you as soon as Endymion got close enough.”

“Oh,” I scoffed. “So _you’re_ the reason why I’m trapped down here.”

“Yes, I am sorry about that, but he would have found you with or without my assistance. However, because I did find you first I was able to send Kunzite and the others for you to prepare you for what was to happen.”

“You mean, their want to get rid of Endymion?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I mean,” she replied. “And for you to continue on with that plan, you will need the _Book of Shadows_. You are safe within these walls, no demon will be able to sense the great power the book possesses once you summon it. I shall leave you.” She shimmered out of sight.

I stared at where she had been, and shook my head. The wonders of the demon underworld would never cease to amaze me. But she was right, I had dwindled enough, it was now time to get to work. I walked around her room and found a suitable place for me to sit, surrounded by candles. Before I could even try to summon the _Book_ I was going to need to meditate. To clear my mind of whatever was ailing me.

I sat down cross-legged and immediately closed my eyes. I tried to find my serenity, and once I thought I had it, I tried to summon the _Book of Shadows._ Unlike last time, it took mere seconds for it to land in front of me. But I also got a few surprise visitors.

They weren’t in physical bodies, but I knew these two women well. They were the last two to hold the _Book_ before I had. The woman on my left had shoulder length black hair and piercing violet eyes, while the woman on my right I recognized immediately.

“Haruka,” I breathed out surprised by their appearance. “What are you doing here?”

“Hello, little cousin,” she smiled. “It is nice to see you again. You know of Hotaru, don’t you?”

“Of course,” I smiled back at them.

“We have come, Serena, because we are aware of what you are trying to accomplish,” Hotaru said. “To do what you wish, you will need great power and an unconflicted heart. The slightest haziness will cause the spell to go wrong and for you to lose the one you love.”

“So it can be done then?”

“Of course,” she replied with a smile. “But it will not be easy.”

“You say that I will need great power, just what kind of great power are you talking about?”

“The power of your friends, us, and your belief in yourself,” Haruka replied. “You cannot give into the darkness of this evil dominion again, Serena. Nothing good will come of it.”

“I know, and I won’t give into it again. That’s why I need to vanquish Endymion. His power corrupts me too much.”

“Her determination is clear,” Hotaru said to Haruka. “She will succeed.”

“Very well,” they both looked at me. “Your preparations begin now.”

* * *

A few weeks went by and the preparations for my biggest spell were almost complete. I had thrown myself head first into the spell, knowing that I only had one chance at this and I had to get it right. Or else, Endymion would kill me. The work was tiring, so by the time that I got back to the room, I literally just collapsed on the bed and was out before he could try anything. My cover for my tiredness was that I was planning our wedding with Raye and the Seer. He didn’t suspect anything and I was able to keep free of his poison.

The day before I was to complete the spell and hopefully bring up my happy ending, I was blindsided. I was on my way to the Seer’s rooms like usual, when I heard raised voices. I stopped, thinking it was probably only a demon scuffle, when I recognized all three of the voices. Thinking that it wasn’t possible, I crept forward and peaked around the corner.

My heart froze as I realized what I was seeing.

“You two should not be down here!” Endymion exclaimed, his face furious and his eyes flashing in warning. The two people standing in front of him, backed away slightly not wanting to be in his path. “What if she sees the both of you? Do you understand what that will do to all of my plans?”

“She has a right to know!” A female with blonde hair down to her waist yelled right back at him. I recognized her immediately. I also recognized her male friend. Mina and Andrew. What the hell were they doing down here?

“Has a right to know what? That her two best friends and trusted co-workers while she was staying in St. Louis, were actually working for me this whole time? And the only reason I didn’t find her sooner was because I wanted her to have time to process what was going on and to realize that there was no way for her to escape?” He replied sarcastically. “Yes, I’m sure that’s going to go over _really_ well with her.”

“You never know,” Andrew finally spoke up. “It just might. Serena can be really understanding, especially if you explain things to her in the right way.”

“There’s no _right_ _way_ to explain this. Besides, I just got her out of her funk, I will not lose her again to some sort of fucked up depression. Or worse yet, have her try and leave me. I won’t have it!” Endymion exclaimed, and stalked forward. “If either of you try and tell her what you did for me, I will vanquish you quicker than you can say demon. Now, Mina why don’t you go scamper off and visit Kunzite. He’s missed you dearly since you’ve been away.”

My mouth popped open in shock. Mina and Andrew were Endymion’s lackeys the whole time I was in St. Louis. Not to mention, Mina was involved with Kunzite? But…why didn’t Kunzite tell me that? I thought the four guys, Raye and I weren’t hiding secrets from each other anymore? What the fuck was going on? My head began to swim and I quietly stumbled away before they realized that I had been standing there.

I made my way to the Seer’s rooms like I had originally planned, but instead of getting straight to work, I sat down on the floor and tried to keep my breathing normal. My life in St. Louis had been a lie. The whole time I was running was a lie. He had known where I had been the whole time. He just wanted me to have time to process things and realize that I couldn’t get away from him. I couldn’t run because he would always find me.

My stomach lurched and I looked for something to throw up into. A bowl of some kind appeared in front of my face and I threw up everything that was in my stomach. Afterwards, I looked up and found the Seer watching me, concern in her eyes.

“He knew all along where I was,” I stated. “He didn’t need you to find me, because he already knew. He only pretended to search every state for me, to prove that he would stop at nothing to find me.”

“Indeed he did,” she replied sitting down next to me. “He only needed me to find you once, and that was when you first left him. He was distraught when you left him three years ago. But he had waited to long to try and find you himself. You left no trail for him to find, so he came for me.”

“Why would you tell him where I was?”

“Because I knew that you loved him and he loved you. You needed to see that it was possible for you to get back the person you lost and love so dearly. It still is possible, and right now, you need to get him back more than ever.”

“Why?” I asked. “The fact that he did this, created this lie just to get me back, doesn’t make me think that he’s worth saving anymore. I’m not sure if Darien still exists in his soul. It may be already too late.”

“It’s not, Darien is still in there,” she said. “And you need to have someone to lean on in this time of need for you.”

“Time of need for me?” I asked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“I have seen,” she replied. “You are with Endymion’s child.”


	12. Tonight We Burn it All

I sat in the dark, my mind working overtime with all the information from the past twelve hours. I had never truly escaped Endymion’s grasp while I had been on the run for the last three years. He had always known where I had been, and had kept a watchful eye on me. In St. Louis, he had sent Andrew and Mina to keep an eye on me and to become my friends. I had trusted them. Just as I had trusted Kunzite and the others. But I should have known better than to trust them. They were the closest to Endymion after all. The whole Mina and Andrew thing though totally floored me. Mina, I would have never expected to be a demon – or at least _involved_ with demons – because she was too bubbly. Andrew, however, I guess I should have been more careful.

**_*Flashback*_ **

_I had been there three months. Longer than I had stayed in a place over the last year, and I was comfortable here. I didn’t want to leave. I enjoyed my job, especially my boss Mina and fellow co-worker, Andrew. But, even though I was on the run from the Source, the demons from his underworld were still able to find me. Unlike before, there was an urgency to defeat these demons before they could report back to Endymion about my whereabouts. My dedication to defeat these demons, led to a lot of moments where I had to leave work early, which began to raise suspicions._

_After my umpteenth time skipping out on work to track down a demon that had seen me the other day, Andrew came over to my house. I opened the door, already knowing that he was there before he even had the chance to knock. I had already decided, that it wouldn’t hurt to stay here a little bit longer, but to do that I was going to need an ally to cover up for my absences from work._

_I trusted Andrew the most in this, because for some reason he felt like the older brother I had never had. So once I felt his approach I knew what I had to do._

_His hand was raised to knock, but he stared open mouthed at me. “What the hell is going on, Serena?”_

_“Andrew, why don’t you come inside so that way we can talk?” I moved aside to let him in. He walked inside and after closing the door, I led him into the kitchen where we promptly sat down._

_“Okay, Serena. I’m inside. Now what is going on?”_

_“Andrew, do you believe in the supernatural?”_

_“The supernatural? You mean like witches and wizards?”_

_“That’s exactly what I mean,” I nodded my head._

_“I guess so. I mean I’m not sure if I believe in the whole witches thing, but I’m pretty sure that there’s_ some _kind of magic out there. There’s got to be, right?”_

_“Well, you wanted an explanation, Andrew. There it is there are such things as witches, wizards, demons, and warlocks. I’m a witch who has to defeat those demons, which is why I have been running out of work. Usually, I would wait until a more opportune time, but you see I’m being hunted.”_

_“Hunted? By what?”_

_“The source of all evil,” I replied._

_“What?”_

_“His name is Darien and he rules the demon underworld.”_

_“But why is he after you?”_

_“I have_ The Book of Shadows _,” I explained. “Which is basically the holy grail of magic powers in the supernatural world. The person who controls it, has the most power. Supposedly.”_

_“Okay,” Andrew trailed off. “Why am I sensing that there’s more to the story?”_

_“Because there is. You see, there’s another reason that he’s after me other than the_ Book _,” I clasped my hands in front of me, not sure how to put this._

_“Which is?”_

_“Before I knew who he was, I thought he was just a regular mortal. When we met, I absolutely hated him because he was this conceited millionaire, who would always tease me. But then the teasing turned to flirting and…” I slumped. “Things happened.”_

_“So not only is he after the_ Book _, but he’s also after you too.”_

_“Exactly,” I sighed. “How are you handling this, Andrew?”_

_“I’m fine. Like I told you, I always believed there was some sort of magic in the universe, this just proves my point.”_

**_*End of Flashback*_ **

He did accept what I was with a lot more grace than I expected. I for sure thought he was going to freak out when I told him, but he had just smiled as if it was a normal day occurrence. Which, considering the company he kept, it might as well been.

So with all this information, where did that leave my plan to vanquish the Source part of Darien’s soul? It left me in limbo and confused as hell. Add in the information from the Seer that I was pregnant with the Source’s child and my confusion to increase tenfold. If I vanquished the Source, I would be murdering my baby’s father. But, at the same time, I _was_ pregnant with the Source’s baby. What was _that_ going to do to me? And could I go through with the pregnancy? I mean the child inside of me was evil. The part of me, who hoped that I was wrong, and the baby was actually good like its mother, was quickly squashed by the Seer. She told me herself the only reason she had seen the child was because of what it was going to do to the world and me if I let it continue.

What did that leave me to do? Well, for the moment, I couldn’t vanquish the Source, not with my heart so conflicted. But that didn’t mean I was out of chances. The spell was ready, I just had to pick an opportune time to set it free. And my unborn child? I was still figuring that one out. But I knew one thing for certain, I couldn’t be _here_ anymore. It was hard enough to avoid Endymion’s advances now, but once he found out my situation, he was going to be even more persuasive and foreboding. I sighed and stared up at the ceiling, still in the darkness.

The only thing left to do now was to escape, which was easier said than done. There was no way that he was going to let me leave. So I was going to have to force myself out and into hiding. The Seer was going to help me with that by placing a heavy concealment spell on me. Even the Seer’s magic was more powerful than the Source’s when need be. The part that was left to me was the distraction and my own extraction. I had just the plan, but it was exhausting to put into place. My eyes closed for a second as I viewed the various caves, making sure that everything was set. It was perfect, now I just needed one last thing…

A flash of flame interrupted me, and I couldn’t help but smile. Bingo. I pretended not to notice his arrival keeping my position of being stretched out in one of the chairs by the fireplace. My fingers drummed out a melody on the armrest. My thoughts trying to stay focused. This would be the first time in awhile that I was actually awake when he came back to the room after ‘night fall.’ He was sure to try something and I was going to need my wits to try and avoid it. The song continued to play on in my head, getting stuck on one lyric, “ _Tonight we burn it all._ ” Oh, the irony.

A few fireballs made their way into the fireplace, starting a fire in the hearth that began to crackly and burn. His black eyes found mind in the light and a look of surprise crossed them briefly. He took a seat next to me, only stopping to move my feet into his lap. The touch sent pleasant chills through me. He stroked each toe slowly as I watched him impassively.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you still awake,” he said, his voice husky. “You’ve been asleep every time I’ve come back for a week now. Are the wedding plans finished?”

I wanted to laugh in his face. He still believed my wedding plan story? For the Source, he sure was stupid. “Not quite. There are still some small details to hash out.”

His fingers went deeper and harder. “What small details?”

Here we go. “Like for instance, when were you going to tell me that Mina and Andrew have been working for you this whole time?” My glance switched back to him as his fingers stopped massaging my foot. The surprised look was back in his eyes again and his mouth popped open.

“H-how did you - ” he stuttered out. Very un-Source like.

“I saw all three of you today, arguing about me.”

“You heard?”

“All of it,” I confirmed. “Guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that those two were under your thumb though. I should have known something was up when I was able to stay in St. Louis for so long. But that still leaves the question,” I watched him carefully. “What else have you been lying about?”

“Look, Serena, what I did was for your protection. I understand that what happened unnerved you and you needed time away, but I didn’t want anything to happen to you – to what is mine.” The last part was said with more emotion than I had given him credit for. It moved me for a second. I wasn’t his. I wasn’t a piece of property. I was a person.

“I’m not yours,” I hissed getting up from my chair and walking away. I felt him move before I heard him. I turned to face him, shocking him again. “Don’t even start, Endymion. I am not a piece of property that you can claim. I am a persona and deserve to be treated like one. But you haven’t. Ever since we met, you have been lying to me at every turn. Which makes me believe that you never truly loved me at all. You’ve only wanted one thing this whole time.”

He was staring at me, his eyes bearing into me. He was frowning, but a hand lifted up to reach for me. But I wasn’t going to cross that bridge. He had made us this way and I was done separating his actions and Darien’s. For my purposes, I had to think of them as one. I was now going to give him an epic ultimatum.

“Don’t bother trying to deny it. You have only wanted the _Book of Shadows_ and once you realized I was hitched to that wagon, you decided that you wanted me too. I’m sick of this, so I’m going to offer you this once. The _Book_ is located somewhere in the underworld. If you find it in an hour, it’s yours.”

“What?” He hissed, apparently, I was still shocking him. “But I thought you didn’t want me to have it. That goes against everything you’ve been through. If I have the _Book_ , how do you know I won’t bring the end of the world?”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“Why though? I don’t understand.”

“You haven’t heard the other part of my offer,” I said coolly. “The _Book_ is yours if you can find it in an hour, but if you even try to find it, I won’t be here when you return.”

“What?”

“It’s the _Book_ or me, Endymion. Take it or leave it.” I crossed my arms across my chest, watching him decide. I had a hunch I knew what he would choose. But if he didn’t choose the option I thought he would I was prepared for that too.

“I choose you,” he whispered so lowly that I didn’t hear him at first. I raised an eyebrow though, because I saw his lips move. “I choose you.” He said louder and with the same amount of passion as before. “I love you, Serena, and if this is what I have to do to prove it to you, then I will. I. Choose. You.” I could see in his eyes that his statement should have sent me straight into his arms and straight into his pants. But, like I said, I was prepared for both responses. It’s just that this one was harder to plan for.

I snorted, “Another lie, but I’m really not surprise. It’s what our relationship was based on. Why should now be any different?” I turned my back on him again, but this time he stopped me, by placing a force field in front of me. _Oh, was that how he wanted to play this?_ I turned around again in a whirl – and was barely an inch from his face, by the time he realized what was going on.

“And this right here, is what I’m talking about,” I seethed. “You throw up a force field to keep me penned in. If what you said is true then you would let me go.”

This whole time I knew I was provoking a sleeping bear, and really I should have known when to stop. But I didn’t. I kept provoking and now he was finally waking up, with a vengeance.

“No,” he hissed grabbing my wrists in a death like grip. “Weren’t you listening when I first brought you here? I am _never_ letting you go again. The last time I did, you ran away for three years.”

“But I didn’t run away, not truly anyway. You knew where I was during that whole three-year span. You have no one to blame but yourself.” I yanked my wrists out of his grip and stepped back, but not far since that force field was still behind me.

“That may be, but I’m still not letting you go. You are my fiancée, and I thought that by agreeing to that, you moved past this.” I gasped sharply, knowing that this was it. This was where I took off my mask and showed my true face.

I started setting off the firebomb spells that I had sat off earlier getting ready for the distraction so I could get out of here.

“Apparently,” I drawled as the room began to quake from the bombs being set off. “I’m a better actress then I’ve been given credit for. The only reason I agreed to your insane proposal was to give myself time. And now, my time is up.” The firebomb spell that I placed in the room last, went off and I disappeared.


	13. I Keep Running Away From You

The room began to shake faintly, but his eyes were glued to hers. A fire that he had only seen once was burning strongly there. He had thought that this was over, that she had finally decided to stop running – to be his. But something had changed.

“Apparently,” she drawled as the room that they were in began to shake harder. “I’m a better actress then I’ve been given credit for. The only reason that I agreed to your insane proposal was to give myself time. And now, my time is up.” A flash of light went off, blinding him and causing him to release his grip on her. He felt the heat surround him before he felt the burn.

Endymion opened his eyes to find his room and himself on fire. He sighed and as calm as he could, he put out the flames. Once the smoke cleared, he’d find an empty room that much he knew. She had been planning this from the beginning, and he had been taken by surprise _again_. It had only happened once before and it had been with here when he told her who he really was. She had fought back – something he hadn’t planned for because he had honestly thought she had loved him enough to go with him. It was probably ridiculous for him – the _Source_ – to believe a woman loved him, but as he had told Serena – she had changed him. She had done the impossible and gotten under his skin. Now, she was gone _again_.

 _“Trista!”_ He exclaimed, finally losing his temper. He was sick and tired of losing what he wanted most. The next time he found her – he would bind her to him so that way she couldn’t stray from his side.

A small light appeared and grew to form the silhouette of the Seer before filling in. She bowed. “My liege?”

“Serena has disappeared again!” He roared. “She must be found quickly.”

“I wondered if those bombs were connected to her,” the seer replied with a smile. “She’s got style, I’ll give her that. But, I will not help you, find her because she is untraceable.”

“Untraceable?” This stopped him in his pacing. “What does that mean?”

“It means that no matter how hard you, I, or another try to find her by a spell she cannot be found.”

“Your doing, I suppose?” He sneered. “You did always want to keep us apart.”

She watched him with her cool eyes. “I do want to keep you apart, and it is time that you knew the reason why. You will cause her destruction, Endymion.”

He returned the seer’s cold stare with a glare of his own. “How will I cause her destruction? I love her, damn it!” This time he got up close and personal to Trista’s face.

“You still don’t get it, do you?” She replied her temper even. “The only reason a witch can become untraceable is if there is a highest powered demon protecting her.”

“But I’m the only demon with that kind of power…” he trailed off as he tried to figure out the seer’s latest puzzle for him. To make Serena untraceable a high-powered demon had to use a spell that would protect her from being found by another. Endymion was the only one with that kind of power, but he didn’t cast the spell. Which meant…what? He turned back to the seer in confusion.

She sighed in annoyance. “The reason Serena is untraceable is because she is pregnant with _your_ child and he is the one responsible for the spell.”

The usual quick wit that Endymion possessed had nothing for this one. He felt like the seer had used a stun spell on him. He couldn’t even compute what she had just said. Serena was pregnant? But…how? Okay, he knew _how_ – that wasn’t a mystery with all the sex that they had been having – but he was reminded of a conversation that they had had when things had gotten serious between them.

**_*Flashback*_ **

_He woke up that morning in the same bed that he’d been using since the mission to stop the witch who was after_ The Book of Shadows _had begun. But this morning, things were different. He wasn’t alone in this bed. In fact, he was with the witch who was trying to obtain the_ Book _. It was a weird turn of events, certainly, but it was one he was happy for._

_When he went to the local arcade to find the witch his lackeys had reported was the one he was searching for, he hadn’t expected to find what he did. The witch was breathtakingly beautiful and he felt some thing that he hadn’t in hundreds of years._

_Desire and longing._

_That’s why his original plan – kill her when she found the_ Book _– had somewhat gone off track. Instead he had flirted and gotten her to go out with him, which eventually lead to more._

_Like her in his bed. He stretched and smiled like a pleased cat. He hadn’t felt this good in a long while. But as he stretched, he stopped in panic. They had had sex, which wasn’t a panic worthy statement. What was though was that they had had unprotected sex. He jumped out of bed cursing. How could he have been so stupid? Although he wasn’t human and shouldn’t have to worry about impregnating her – he did have to worry. Demons could still reproduce, and he wasn’t just any demon. He was the Source, so any child he created would be powerful and that power could kill the mother. He didn’t want Serena to die. Something had to be done._

_In the middle of his freak out, Endymion didn’t notice that his bed partner had woken up. She was peering at him trying to figure out what was going in her sleepy haze. He couldn’t be regretting what they had done could he?_

_“What’s going on?” She mumbled from the bed._

_“Serena, I just realized that last night…we didn’t use protection,” he replied. “Unless you’re on birth control?” He had a hopeful look on his face. Birth control wouldn’t have stopped a pregnancy if Serena had just been human, but because she was a witch, and a powerful one at that, he thought that it might be their savior._

_“Um…no…I’m not,” she said trying to wake up. This wasn’t the best conversation to have when you were trying to wake up. “But I wouldn’t worry about it…”_

_“No, we should…” he said. This ruined everything. He was now going to have to tell her who he_ really _was. Which, you know, should go over really well._ So, Serena, you know how you told me all about your history and how you’re a witch? Well, I’m the Source that you’ve been fighting. Surprise! _...not. He opened his mouth to tell her when she interrupted him with a sigh._

 _“Okay, I was going to not say anything about this until we were really,_ really _serious, but we really don’t have to worry about last night. The reason is because I can’t have kids, and I mean that literally and physically I can’t have kids.”_

_“What?” Was the only reply he could think of._

_“I can’t have kids,” she replied with teary eyes._

_Endymion didn’t know what to do. He wanted to breathe a hefty sigh in relief that he hadn’t gotten her pregnant accidentally, but at the same time he was saddened that a woman so caring couldn’t have kids of her own. The last part was crazy for him the Source to be thinking, but it was just further proof that she was changing him._

_“I’m sorry, Serena,” he said. “But can I ask what happened? Why can’t you have kids?"_

_“There was a demon attack a few years ago,” she said. “He flung me into a brick wall, fracturing my spine – while I was out he poisoned me. The healer that came to my rescue and looked after me told me that it was the poison that did the damage. It scarred my uterus and ovaries, making me infertile.”_

_“And there isn’t any magic that can reverse it?”_

_“I’m taking daily potions, but the healer was doubtful that they will work.”_

**_*End of Flashback*_ **

“The potion must have healed her,” he whispered.

“The potion didn’t heal her,” the seer said. “This was already predestined. It was power that brought you together and magic that found a way to make the course that you were on to stay on track. As you should know, magic always finds a way.”

“Apparently, she isn’t powerful enough. The child is going to be her destruction, isn’t it? That thing she is growing inside of her is going to kill her. I can’t lose her.”

“You already did, Endymion.”

He turned to her in fury. “And whose fault is that? You are going t help me find her and get rid of that thing that is growing inside of her!”

The seer smiled and he grew wary. He rarely saw her smile and when he did…it wasn’t good.

“I will do no such thing. This is Serena’s decision to make and I won’t let you influence her anymore.”

“How dare you! You still work for me!”

“I work for no one!” Trista exclaimed her amber eyes glowing in anger. “I am my own person and only help when my services are requested. But I refuse to help you any longer.” And with that the seer disappeared, leaving Endymion speechless yet again.

* * *

Serena stumbled as she appeared on the doorstep of her only safe haven. She had avoided using this place while she was on the run from Endymion because she wouldn’t have been the only witch he found there, and she didn’t want to put those other witches at risk. At least, she hoped she wasn’t the only witch, it had been a while since she last talked to them. She was having trouble focusing on anything and felt her energy start to wane. This baby and her escape were tiring her out. She should probably ring the doorbell before she lost consciousness.

Her hand reached out, but that was all she remembered before everything went black.

* * *

When she came to, she was lying in a bed and she could hear voices coming from the other room.

“How did she even get here?” A woman’s voice said. “Last I heard she was on the run from Endymion.”

“Does it really matter how she got here? What I’m more concerned about is that she _is_ here. Things must be really bad if she had to come here.”

“We won’t know until she wakes up, I’m afraid,” said a third woman and it was a voice Serena recognized. She hadn’t seen Amy since she had given her the final clue to get the _Book of Shadows_. How did she wind up here?

“Oh! You’re awake!” The first voice exclaimed from the doorway. Serena looked over and couldn’t help but smile. It was good to see these girls again. They scurried to her side and sat down next to her on the bed. Serena, gingerly sat up, and accepted the cup of tea that Amy offered her.

“It’s so good to see you guys again,” she said after taking a sip.

“It’s good to see you too, but Serena what are you doing here?” Amy asked.

“A lot has happened since I last saw you, all of you,” she took them all in. There was Amy, of course, sitting directly in front of her. The woman on her left had wild auburn hair that almost looked red, piercing green eyes, and insanely long nails. In another world, they wouldn’t have been friends, but in this one their witchy ways brought them together. It also helped that Beryl didn’t care for Endymion too much and was sympathetic to Serena’s cause. The other woman, who was sitting between Beryl and Amy, had aquamarine hair and piercing blue-green eyes. Michelle had overdone it on the hair coloring potions when she was just starting out as a witch and mixed things that shouldn’t have been mixed. That was why her hair was such a weird color. Serena and Michelle had met at a coffee shop and Serena had mentioned the weird hair color and how much she liked it. They had been friends ever since.

Serena had lived with both Beryl and Michelle in this house until she had met Endymion – who was Darien back then – and things had gotten serious. She hadn’t been back there since she had called to tell them what was going on. Things had changed since that time and…she encircled her stomach, forgetting for a moment how _much_ things had changed.

“I have a lot to tell you,” she said looking at them, smiling sadly before she launched into her story.


	14. Gone Too Soon

_Six Months Later…_

Endymion screamed in frustration. His screams echoed off the walls and deep into the Underworld. His demon underlings were used to this scream by now. He’d been screaming ever since Serena had taken off and every day after, when he couldn’t find her. They were also used to their dwindling numbers. Every time one of them returned with no good news about their queen’s whereabouts, they met a very quick and fiery end. The Underworld was quickly becoming a ghost town, and those who remained knew that their time was coming. The only difference was, they were thinking when it was time for them to go on their search, they would not return.

It was every demon for themselves these days, and it wasn’t like the Source was going to try and search for them. He had enough on his plate with trying to find the queen and also his closest friends.

*** _Flashback*_**

_Endymion paced in front of his inner circle. It was the second month since Serena had left and every day it was the same. He sent his inner circle to find her – telling them to check her old hiding places and any new leads that his other demons brought to his attention. But every time they came back empty handed. Wherever Serena had disappeared to, she had done it without a trace, with the help of the untraceable spell. He knew that trying to find her would be difficult with such a spell on her, but he was hoping that his magic would be powerful enough to breakthrough. It wasn’t, and adding in the fact that he was working on a limited time frame and his irritation was growing by the minute._

_The longer it took to find her, the less likely it was going to be alive. He didn’t know the gestation period for a half-demon/half-witch baby, but he doubted he could trust the usual nine-month period. He needed to find her, before that thing killed the love of his life. He needed to find her_ now _._

 _“Are you even_ trying _to find her?!” He exclaimed._

_Everyone exchanged looks with the other. They knew how he could get and his mood only seemed to be getting worse by the hour. Kunzite and the others didn’t know what caused Serena to leave, but it had to be something major. She wouldn’t leave, not after all the planning they had been doing._

_“Of course we’re trying to find her, brother,” Raye replied breaking the silence and subjecting herself to his fury. “You are not the only one who loves her. We all do, and we want her back where she belongs.”_

_“You’re lying,” he roared. “You’re not trying to find her, because you believe that she doesn’t belong here. You’ve been planning with her, to try and make me change. And once she realized that I could not be vanquished, and her precious Darien could not be saved, she bailed on you and your plan.”_

_Mina let out a gasp before she could cover her mouth to stop it, Kunzite and the others just looked at her before looking back at their friend and master. They didn’t say anything, hoping that this was just another one of his angry rants. But as the silence ticked on, Endymion stopped pacing and looked at each of them. His eyebrows shot up, as he realized that none of them were trying to deny his accusations. He kept staring at them, hoping that he was wrong, and that they were just waiting for him to calm down before they talked sense into him. The silence continued to grow and a pang of betrayal ruptured through his already broken heart._

_“It really is true?” He asked, quietly. “You planned with her to destroy me?”_

_Raye was the first to answer. “The only thing we were planning to destroy was your evil side. To rid you of the demon inside, so that I could have my brother back, so that they,” she pointed to each of his generals, “could have their friend back, and so that Serena could have the man that she loved back.”_

_“I’m still your brother, Raye,” he said his voice stoic. “Just as I am still your friend, and I am still the man that Serena loves. There is nothing in me that you need to change.”_

_“You’re wrong,” she whispered. “You are_ not _my brother, and you haven’t been since Serena went missing the first time. I thought with her return that you would become him again, but the evil is too strong. You’ve let yourself become the demon, Endymion.”_

_He thought about it for a while, before he turned to the others. “Do you all feel this way?”_

_Kunzite exchanged looks with the other generals. “Yes, we do.”_

_“I see. And obviously, Serena felt the same way, or else she wouldn’t have let herself be captured, and agree to marry me, before taking off again.” He got really quiet and Raye glanced quickly at Jadeite thinking that maybe they were finally getting through to him. He gave her a hesitant smile, thinking the same thing, when Endymion spoke._

_“If that’s what you all feel, then go.”_

_“What?” Raye whispered, shocked._

_“You heard me, if that’s how you feel then go. Leave!” He exclaimed. “Go join you precious friend, Serena and laugh about how you tried to change the Source.”_

_“But - ”_

_“But nothing! I am not changing! This is who I am! And if you don’t like it, then go. I’m not stopping you!” His rage was taking over again. “As of this moment, none of you are my friends and you, Raye, are not my sister. If I ever run into you, I will kill you, as if you were my enemies. Which, as of this moment, you are.” He turned and within seconds was gone. Leaving them behind, stunned._

**_*End of Flashback*_ **

Endymion paced now in his throne room, awaiting reports from today’s search party. He had a feeling that some of them weren’t going to come back, knowing what their fate would be if they did not bring news of Serena, or Serena herself to him. As he awaited those who would return, he thought back on that day he had found out his friends and sister had teamed up with Serena to try and vanquish the demon within. He may have been too rash, to tell them that if he ever saw them again, he would kill them. But he had been enraged.

He still was, and it was getting worse every day that Serena went unfound. He didn’t know how much longer he had. Was she even still alive? He needed to find her soon…

* * *

I had run out of time and options. After six months of trying every spell, and – even as a last resort – going to a witch doctor, the baby was still within me. It had grown stronger with each passing day. As I got closer to delivery, I grew concerned. If the baby had resisted my attempts to be rid of it while within my womb, what would it do once it was out of me? No matter how many times Beryl and the other girls tried to convince me not to kill the baby, I knew I had to.

This baby was going to be a force of evil no matter what I tried to do to stop it. The Seer had foreseen it, and I had felt its evil while carrying it. I still felt its evil and it was draining me. This baby was killing me, also like the Seer predicted. I could barely waddle the two feet to the bathroom these days, and even the simplest spell caused beads of sweat to cover my forehead.

“How are you doing?” Raye asked as she came into the room with a tray of tea. I sat up and gasped as the baby kicked me rather hard. It seemed to always do that whenever Raye was nearby. Probably because he realized that she was his/her’s father’s sister.

“I’ve had better days,” I replied. I was shocked when Beryl and Amy had brought Raye, Jadeite and the other guys home with them four months ago. How had they found us? And what were they doing here? I had asked these questions after having a minor panic attack, and they explained that Endymion had kicked them out because he knew they were helping me in my efforts to destroy the Source. They were outcasts.

**_*Flashback*_ **

_“That still doesn’t explain how you found me here,” I said. “I never told any of you about this place. The only people who knew were Amy, Michelle, Beryl and the…” I trailed off realizing one other person did know. Someone they knew quite well._

_“And me,” the Seer said appearing in the room. “Don’t worry so, Serena, Endymion still does not know about this place. I’ve been watching him, and when I saw these five exiled from his domain, I told them where they could find your friends and ultimately you. They only wish to help, and with the baby coming…”_

_“Baby?!” Raye exclaimed. “What baby?!”_

_“He didn’t tell you?” I asked._

_“Tell us what?” Kunzite asked, his face wary with concern._

_“I’m pregnant.”_

_“Oh no,” Nephrite muttered as realization of what that meant dawned on all their faces._

_“Indeed.”_

**_*End of Flashback*_ **

“I hate to say it, Serena, but you look like you’ve had better days,” Raye said as she sat down next to me on the bed. I rolled my eyes at her comment. Trust her to keep everything in perspective. But she was right I did look like hell. Unlike most pregnant women, I didn’t have the ‘glow’ of pregnancy. But that was likely because my baby wasn’t normal. He was feeding on my power, which made me look like I was dying. My cheeks were hollow, there were bags under my eyes from lack of sleep, and my usually long and glowing hair now hung in oily strands.

“Don’t I know it,” I muttered as I took a sip from my tea, the herbal mixture making me feel a tiny bit better. Ever since the last attempt of getting the baby out of me failed, Beryl and Michelle had been pumping me full of potions to offset the baby’s affect on me.

I didn’t have the heart to tell them that with each day, the potions were working less and less.

“Serena, I hate seeing you like this. Are you sure there isn’t anything that can be done?”

“We’ve tried everything. I’m out of options. This baby is going to come out of me, whether I want it to or not. The only thing we can hope for is that all of us are strong enough to bind its powers when it comes, or else we’re all doomed.”

“You’re talking as if you are still going to be here after the baby is born when we both know that you won’t be.”

I opened my mouth to say something that would refute her statement, but as I looked into her eyes, I knew that she knew what I knew. When the baby came, its birth would kill me. I wasn’t strong enough to live through the labor.

“You’re too damn perceptive for your own good, Raye,” I said with a sigh. “Just like your brother.”

“We have to do something to stop this from happening. There’s got to be some way…” she trailed off ignoring my comment about her brother all together.

“I told you, we’ve tried everything.”

A light passed through her eyes. “Not everything.”

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“A witch doctor,” she replied.

“I’ve already tried that, and it didn’t work. The doctor said that this baby was too powerful for extraction, even by his power.”

“He was just a common witch doctor, what you need is a powerful one. One that works for the Source.”

“Raye,” I groaned. “If this witch doctor works for the Source, don’t you think he will report back to the _Source_ about where I am?”

The raven-haired girl smiled a slow evil smirk. The first one I had seen since she got here. “Just because he works for the Source, doesn’t mean that he’s loyal to him.”

“And who exactly is he loyal to?”

“Why, the Source’s sister of course.”

* * *

Endymion stretched out on his bed, but no matter how he turned or stretched he couldn’t find a comfortable spot. Why he was even trying to get some sleep, he didn’t know. He couldn’t sleep. Not until Serena was back with him and without the baby who was sure to kill her. He groaned and flipped over, his body protesting the motion. Until he took in a deep breathe and caught her familiar scent. _Serena_ …he thought with longing. He could see her in his mind’s eye, but it was no good. He wanted her here with him, now. How did it come to this? He couldn’t help but think with regret.

**_*Flashback*_ **

_Endymion was quivering with anger. How could a full underworld full of demons be so incompetent when it came to the capture of a simple girl? Sure, she was a witch, and apparently, quite powerful if she was able to destroy so many of his underlings. But honestly? How did his demons even let it get to the point of being vanquished? Flirt with her! Seduce her! She was a girl for crying out loud! There were ways to get under her defenses without using their demon powers. But he should have known better._

_Never send an underling to do the leader’s job. So that’s why he was here, to snatch this witch. Now, he just had to wait for her. He sat in an arcade, one that his demon spies had reported that she liked to frequent before and after work. He shook his head and took a sip of his coffee. What kind of witch liked to frequent an_ arcade _? Arcades were for children. She must be quite naïve._

 _The bells above the door, jingled to signal a new customer’s entrance. He looked up and felt the breath in his chest freeze. Standing at the entrance was the most beautiful girl – no woman – he had ever seen. She had the longest blonde hair that he’d ever seen. It looked like purely spun gold. Her cornflower blue eyes were piercing, and he felt, if they looked at him, could see into his very dark soul. And damn it. Her_ body _. He hadn’t felt lust like this in decades. Her breasts were supple and looked like they could fit in his hands quite nicely. Her skin was like porcelain, but from what he could see she was also soft, and he can only imagine that she was soft in all the places he was hard._

_And was he ever hard. He could now see why the demons he had previously sent after her were dead. There was no way a girl like that could be seduced by those that he had sent. They weren’t capable. Endymion, on the other hand, could be… he just needed to plan._

* * *

_It had been six months. A mission that should have only taken a day, had lasted six months, and it wasn’t anywhere near completion. Endymion had been trying to seduce the woman – whose name was Serena – but she wouldn’t go for it. At every attempt, she refused him. In this play, he was Darien Shields the billionaire, a fact he kept trying to use to win her over. But she didn’t care. She didn’t care for the material things. He tried to win her over with flattery, but she would have none of it._

_He was at his wits end. It didn’t help that he was also sexually frustrated. He had been friend zoned for the first time that he could ever recall. He sighed as he walked down the street and entered the arcade to meet her. The now all familiar bells jingled at his entrance, and the owner – Yaten – greeted him. He waved in greeting and moved to walk to his now usual booth that he and Serena shared._

_But he stopped short. The booth was empty._

_“Hey, Yaten? Has Serena been in today?” He asked._

_“No, she hasn’t,” the owner replied. “I was actually going to go check on her, but I’ve been swamped.”_

_“Check on her?”_

_"Yeah, she didn’t come in this morning, and when she didn’t show up this afternoon, I called her, but she didn’t answer.”_

_Unease settled in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong._

_“I’ll go,” he said._

_“Would you? Cool, here’s her address,” Yaten said as he quickly wrote it down and handed it to Endymion. “Thanks for doing this man.”_

_“No problem.” Endymion walked out the door. After making sure, that no one was in sight he used his powers to teleport himself to Serena’s apartment building. He landed on her front step and spelled the door open. Something caught his eye as he walked up the stairs. There was a small red dot on each stair. The unease in his stomach grew worse. He stopped at the appropriate floor and followed the red dots down the hall. Each dot grew larger until finally they stopped. Endymion took a deep breath and turned to see an apartment door wide open._

_And a wisp of golden hair wound around the entryway. His heartbeat picked up as he followed the hair to Serena’s body leaning against the wall, her eyes closed and her breathing labored. Her left arm was cradled to her chest gingerly, her bangs were stained red from a deep cut on her forehead, and something was sticking out of her right side. Endymion hissed as he realized that what was sticking out of her right side was a spike from one of his poison demons._

_“Serena?” He whispered. “Can you hear me?”_

_She stirred, barely, and hissed in pain. Her eyes fluttered open, “Darien?” She whispered. “What are you - ”_

_“Ssh,” he replied. “Don’t ask questions. I’m here, now, and I’m going to help you.”_

_“Help me?” She asked. “How?”_

_“What did I say about questions?” He asked with a small smile on his lips. “I’m going to try and patch you up. You ran into a nasty poison demon, didn’t you?”_

_Her eyes widened, and she gasped in shock and then pain. Endymion, realizing what he said, shook his head to answer her question._

_“Don’t ask,” he said. “We’ll talk about it_ after _I get you patched up. Now, sleep.” He waved his hand over her face, and her eyes closed. He sighed and got to work. He pulled out the spike and instantly placed his glowing palm over the wound. Hopefully that would stop the bleeding and clear the poison out of her system. When he removed his hand, her skin was healed and pink. He moved upwards and brushed back her bangs, revealing the cut that went from one end of her forehead to the other. He placed the same palm on the wound and watched as it knitted itself back together._

_He then moved on the final injury, her left arm. He gingerly moved the arm, and saw that the bone was broken clean through. He sighed, knowing that he had to make a cast for it instead of healing it completely. A lot of the healing he had done, could easily be explained away with him being a low warlock, but if he healed the arm completely… Well, she was going to ask questions he couldn’t answer if he wanted his plan to work._

_He sighed and conjured a cast for her arm. Once that was done, he lifted her into his arms and placed her onto the couch. She was going to sleep for a while, and once she awoke, she was going to have a lot of questions for him. He sat down across from her and just watched._

_Several hours later, she finally began to stir. Her eyes opened and it took her a minute before she sat up fast._

_“Careful,” Endymion said from his seat. “That cut that was on your forehead was pretty nasty. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a concussion.”_

_Serena turned to him, her blue eyes searching his for the answers that she clearly needed. “How?” Was the only question she asked._

_“You’re going to have to be more specific,” he replied._

_“You might as well just tell me everything. How do you know about demons?”_

_“How do you?” He countered._

_She sighed. “Seriously? You’re the one who barges into my apartment and I’m getting the run around?”_

_Endymion smiled. “Touché. Well, I’m a warlock, and have plenty of experience with demons in the past. Now, my turn, how do you know about demons and what did you do to piss of this one?”_

_“I’m a witch,” she replied. “And I was looking for something when this poison demon came out of nowhere and started attacking me.”_

_“What were you looking for?”_

_This time Serena smiled. “I don’t know you well enough to tell you that.”_

_“Too bad,” he said. “Considering I did heal you and everything.”_

_“Which brings up another question. How did you know where I lived?”_

_“Yaten was worried about you, and I volunteered to come check up on you.”_

_“Hmph,” she replied and got up from the couch. “Well, thanks for the healing, but I guess you can find your way out?” Endymion got up and intercepted her._

_“Really? That’s the thanks I get for saving your life?”_

_“Pretty much, yeah,” she said. “Unless you had something else in mind?”_

_“Well…” he replied a thousand possibilities going through his head. “How about that date I’ve been after for months?”_

_“Fine, whatever. Now, will you go?”_

_He smirked, and kissed her on the cheek before he left._

**_*End of Flashback*_ **

Endymion sighed as he continued to inhale her scent. It was so much easier back then. What he wouldn’t give to go back to those times. He sat up in bed with a shout of joy. _That was it_! He thought to himself. That was what Serena had wanted to begin with. Not the evil Endymion she had come to know, but the man who healed her all those years ago, the one who had treated her with such kindness. If that was what it took to keep her, that was what he would do. Now, he just needed to find her, and tell her, before it was too late. _Where are you Serena?_

As if to answer his question, a paper crane flew into the room and landed in front of him. It unfolded itself, and Endymion read:

_My liege,_

_I found her. If you follow this crane, it will lead you to her and me._

_Hurry, the baby is fast approaching._

_Yours,_

_Sapphire_

He could only stare. How was it that he had thousands of demons looking for her and his witch doctor was able to find her? And the baby! It was coming! He had to hurry unless he wanted to be too late.

The crane folded itself again and began to take flight. Endymion followed without another thought.           

* * *

I had never felt so much pain. The witch doctor had shown up twenty minutes ago, and had promised to help me, when my water broke. It was too late. The only option I had was to deliver this baby. I screamed as another contraction ran through my body.

“You’re doing great, Serena,” the witch doctor – Sapphire – said. “You’re almost there.”

“Raye,” I croaked. “Raye?”

“I’m here,” she said and squeezed my hand.

“You’ve got to promise me that you will bind his powers,” I whispered. “No matter what, bind his powers and make sure he will never be like his father.”

“I will,” she replied tears streaming down her face.

I screamed again, the pain blinding me.

“Raye,” I heard a voice say from the door.

“No!” She screamed beside me. “Sapphire! How could you! I thought you were loyal to me?”

“The situation is more dire, than I thought, Raye. He deserved to know that his love was dying and his baby was being born.”

 _Endymion,_ I thought to myself. He was here. He took hold of my hand and I opened my eyes. He was staring at me, pain etching his features.

“Serena,” he croaked. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” I replied my voice strained. “Endymion, you have to take care of him. I know how you’re going to feel about him, but you have to take care of him.” I screamed as another contraction went through me.

“Don’t talk like that,” he whispered. “You’re going to live. You’re going to be a mother. We’re going to take care of this baby together.”

“One more push, Serena!” Sapphire exclaimed.

“Promise me,” I whispered and pushed once more. A baby’s wails filled the room and I slumped down onto the bed, totally exhausted. I closed my eyes, succumbing to the exhaustion.

* * *

 

“Do you want to hold your son?” Sapphire asked Endymion. He nodded and let go of Serena’s hand to take hold of his son. The baby stopped crying and he couldn’t help but smile at the bundle of perfection that was part Serena and part him. He brought the baby back to Serena, and the smile disappeared. Her eyes were closed and she wasn’t breathing.

“Sapphire!” He exclaimed. “She’s not breathing.”

“She’s still bleeding,” Sapphire replied and worked fast. “Damn it!”

Endymion watched all of this, clutching the baby to his chest. This couldn’t be happening. Serena could not die on him. Not after everything they had been through.

“Endymion,” Raye said. “Give me the baby.”

“What?”

“Serena wanted us to bind his powers as soon as he was born,” she explained. “Hand it over.”

“No,” he said. “I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“Any bind I put on the baby will hold for his whole life,” he explained and walked out of the room to do the spell with his eyes lingering on Serena. Raye watched him leave and wondered what her brother was up to.  

* * *

When Raye went to find him a few minutes later, she found him still holding the baby and talking to him.

“Your mother is going to love you,” he whispered. “And despite everything, she loves you too. She is just scared of what our powers created in you.”

“Endymion,” Raye said tears in her eyes. He looked up and saw the pain in her expression.

“No,” he whispered. “No!” He shouted this time as he stood up and crossed the room. He shoved the baby at his sister and ran into the room where Serena was. He ran to her side and grabbed her hand. But it was ice cold to the touch. She had no pulse. Her chest wasn’t rising and falling with air.

He collapsed to the floor still clutching her hand.

“I’m sorry, Endymion,” Raye said from the doorway. “There was just too much bleeding. Sapphire couldn’t stop it.”

Endymion screamed until it turned into sobs of pain. Serena the love of his life was dead and it was all his fault.


	15. Bring Me Back to Life

_6 Months Later…_

For the third night in a row, the baby had a full night of sleep. He didn’t wake up crying once. Raye, Michelle, Beryl and Amy were happy for that. They hadn’t slept much in six months. Ever since their friend had died while baring the child they were looking after, the child hadn’t slept always-crying ear blasting howls. He needed a mother. He needed a father. But both were lost to the boy. As soon as Endymion had picked himself off the floor, he looked with pain at the child in Raye’s arms. Without saying a word, he disappeared, no word of where he was going.

Jadeite and the others had gone after him, searching, but there was still no word as to where he was. They didn’t even know if he was alive.

* * *

 

Endymion, was in fact alive, but he had been on a mission, ever since he had pulled himself together. He was the Source! There had to be a way to bring Serena back to life. He wouldn’t let her death stand. There had to be a way, there just had to be. So he had started from the beginning. He had started his research on Serena and her witch lineage. Her relatives Haruka and Hotaru had been in possession of the Book before she had, but as he worked through her family tree, no one else had gotten their hands on it, except for, Selene.

Selene was the beginning of Serena’s witch heritage. In many histories, a lot of witches, warlocks and wizards believed her to be the first witch. If that were the case then it would explain why she would have had the Book in her possession. She was the one who created it. Endymion was one of the few who did believe that Selene was the first witch, and because of that he knew that if he had any chance of bringing Serena back he would need her help. The only problem with this plan was the fact that Selene had been killed…by a former Source – his grandfather.

He was going to need a miracle if he wanted her help.

So for the last six months he had been looking for the last surviving member of Serena’s bloodline, her brother Samuel. For Endymion to summon Selene he was going to need his help. He had only ever met Serena’s brother once and it was under interesting circumstances…

**_*Flashback*_ **

_Serena and him had been dating for the last two months, when her brother was expected to come to town to visit his sister. The first that Endymion had heard about this was one afternoon when he was trying to make plans with her to hang out after ‘work.’ She refused him and he asked why._

_“My brother is coming into town and I haven’t seen him in over a year,” she explained._

_“I didn’t even know that you had a brother,” he replied and she smiled._

_“We don’t really talk much. He lives on the other side of the world, and he always brings trouble with him whenever he comes to visit.”_

_“Trouble? What sort of trouble?”_

_“Well,” she looked around to make sure no one else was in the near vicinity. They were the only ones in the arcade that afternoon. “He has a gambling problem…”_

_Endymion smirked. “That doesn’t sound too bad. In fact, it sounds almost normal.”_

_“I wish,” she muttered. “It’s not a normal gambling problem. My brother is a warlock, or at least I think he is. For all I know by now he’s already gambled away all of his powers.”_

_He blinked as realization dawned. In the underworld, there were demons who ran ‘casinos’ but instead of betting money, the clientele betted their powers. That was how some of the demons were able to become so powerful. They stole these powers and fueled their own. If Serena’s brother was involved in that…well, why hadn’t he had known sooner?_

_“I see,” he said, his mind thinking. “Any idea where he’s gambled in the past?”_

_“No, all I know is that he’s always on the run from this demon, who I can only assume is the owner. He sends his minions after him, and Samuel usually can out maneuver them, it’s only when he has trouble doing so that he comes to see me. He doesn’t think I know, but…” she sighed not noticing the look that crossed Endymion’s face. He was angry with her brother and he hadn’t even met him yet. Anyone who stressed her out, he was going to be mad at. He didn’t understand why. He’d been feeling this way for a while and it was unfamiliar to him. He was used to hate, anger, lust and dark happiness. But this…was it possible he was falling in love?_

_He shook his head and knew that he had to take care of this…without Serena’s knowledge.  
_

* * *

_It was his third ‘casino’ of the night and he had yet to run into a Samuel who was a warlock. He was running out of options, and he honestly hoped that this wasn’t the place. The owner of this establishment didn’t really agree with his rule. In fact, he had almost engineered an uprising a hundred years ago. But as luck would have it, it was the place._

_The owner was on the floor and he had a man with sandy blonde hair surrounded. Endymion sighed, he could only assume that this was Serena’s brother, Samuel. He strode forward, and the demons that had gathered to watch parted as they realized whom he was. The murmuring began, as he got closer to the circle._

_“I told you, Samuel,” the demon boss growled. “I don’t take kindly to my patrons running out on their debt. Because you have been running from me for years, what you owe is now double.” He reached out to grasp the man, when Endymion broke through._

_“Put him down, Amadeus,” he said. The demon looked up with scarlet eyes._

_“Endymion,” he growled. “What are you doing here?”_

_“Stopping you,” he replied and ignored the look, Samuel was sending him. “This man is off limits.”_

_The demon continued to growl at him and the spikes along his skin began to sharpen. Endymion sighed, this wasn’t going to end well. “How dare you come into my place of business and command me. This warlock owes me his power! You can’t erase his debt just because you’re - ”_

_“If you go any further, I will vanquish you where you stand, you insolent piece of slime.” He interrupted stepping into the demon’s personal space. “You may have tried to overthrow me one hundred years ago, but as you know my powers are no match for yours. Now you will leave him alone,_ and _you will give him back the power you have already taken from him.”_

_Amadeus’s eyes flashed a deep scarlet, the spikes now protruding a foot from his skin. He was about to blow. “You know how this goes, Endymion. If you want me to return his powers, I need some in return.”_

_“Fine, then take some of mine,” he offered his outstretched palm. The demon’s eyes zeroed in, flicking between it and Endymion’s eyes. He picked off one of the spines that protruded from his skin and inserted it in Endymion’s palm. He felt his power drain for a few moments before the demon took away the spine._

_“Very well, the debt is paid,” he said and motioned to one of his minions. “Return Samuel’s power.” The minion stepped forward and touched Samuel briefly. Endymion watched as a golden light entered the man before it faded and the minion stepped back. “Now, leave my business and never return Samuel. Or else.”_

_As Endymion left with Samuel, the man turned to him with anger in his eyes. “What the hell was that? And who the hell are you?”_

_“I just got you back your powers, and if you were smart you would stop bringing this trouble to your sister’s door.” He snapped back._

_“My sister sent you?”_

_“Something like that,” Endymion said and took Serena’s brother out of the underworld._

**_*End of Flashback*_ **

It was a miracle that he had even been able to find Samuel. After his visit with Serena, he’d gone off traveling the world, and he somehow wouldn’t be surprised if Serena had told her brother, when she was going underground, that he should too. She knew how Endymion worked. If he could find her brother, he would have used him to lure her out. But that was before she knew that he knew where she had been the whole time she had been on the run. He sighed and threw his hand through his already wind-tousled hair. Maybe Serena had been right when she had run from him the first time.

He sighed and walked into the villa that Samuel had been staying at. He skirted through the living room and stopped when he noticed a chalk outline. If he walked any closer he would have been in a binding spell. Samuel had been expecting him.

“I knew it was only a matter of time before you found me,” a voice said from behind him. He turned and saw the man he was looking for. It had been a few years, and the stress of the situation showed on his face. There were lines that shouldn’t be there, and Samuel’s hair was going prematurely gray. It could have also been a sign of the kind of spells Serena’s brother had been doing, but he doubted it. “The only question I have,” Samuel continued on. “Is why did it take you so long?”

“Because I was never searching for you to begin with,” Endymion answered honestly. “I knew where your sister was the whole time she was supposed to be on the run.”

“If that’s true, then why are you here?” Samuel asked looking pensive as he took a step forward. The Source sighed and took a step to the right, away from the binding spell that was on the floor. If he was smart he would have stepped inside it, to gain Samuel’s trust, but he wanted things to play out first.

“I’m sorry to tell you,” he replied his voice breaking slightly as it always did when he thought about the reason why he was here. “But your sister is dead.”

The color completely left Samuel’s face and he fell to his knees. A pained expression was in his eyes as he looked up at the Source. “Was it you?” He asked his voice choked with grief. “Did you finally kill her after everything that you two have been through?”

“Yes.” Endymion sat on the floor beside him, knowing that he could explain it all to him, but no matter how he explained it, it still ended the same way. Serena had died because of him. Because he couldn’t leave her well enough alone. He had been stupid. He had been blinded by the fact that she brought out a side of him that he didn’t think that he had. Yes, at first it had been about possession; of her magic and her connection to the Book, but it soon had grown to so much more. He loved her.

“What happened?” Samuel asked. “How did it all end? I’m assuming you found her and tried to have her turn to the dark side again.”

“Well…”

* * *

Samuel sat there his eyes focused on the floor in front of him. He didn’t know what to think and Endymion couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t everyday the Source of all evil came searching for his dead lover’s brother to tell him that she could be brought back to life, but they had to summon Selene first.

“You realize this plan is insane?” He finally broke the silence.

“Of course, I do. But it doesn’t hurt to try. Besides what happens if it does work?” Endymion asked.

“Serena will be brought back to take care of her son,” Samuel muttered. “Man, I can’t believe I’m an uncle to an incarnate of evil.” He ran his fingers through his hair. Endymion tried to fight down his anger at that. Yes, the Seer had said that his son would be evil, but…he had looked at his son while he was binding his powers. He didn’t look capable of the evil that Endymion had done. Then again…he hadn’t either.

“So, will you help me?”

“Might as well,” he laughed. “Besides if it doesn’t work, Selene might vanquish you.”

“Yeah, there’s always that.”

Samuel stood up from the floor and waved his hand. The chalk outline on the floor took on a new shape. As Endymion watched it turned into a summoning spell, one that he hadn’t seen before. Samuel walked over to the southern point of the drawing and motioned for him to stand on the other side, at the northern point.

“All right,” he said looking at him. “I’ll admit, I haven’t done this before, so this could go horribly wrong. But…whatever.” He put his hands out palms up to the ceiling and began to mutter in Latin. Endymion watched his breath caught in his throat. The chalk began to swirl until there was a mini tornado in the center of the circle. As Samuel’s voice continued to mutter the spell, a faint form began to appear.

“Samuel,” an angelic voice said. Endymion’s mouth popped open. If he hadn’t known any better, he would have thought that it was Serena in the center of their circle, but it couldn’t be… Could it?

The chanting stopped and Samuel looked up a shocked expression on his face. “Serena?” He whispered.

“No,” the form replied. “I’m your great-great-great grandmother, Selene. Now, why have you summoned me with…” she turned and looked at Endymion and he saw with astonished eyes that Selene did in fact look like Serena. “The Source of all evil?”

“Lady Selene,” he bowed. She raised an eyebrow, but nodded her head in acknowledgement. “I believe you might know the reason we have summoned you.”

“You wish to resurrect my darling Serena.”

“Yes,” Samuel said.

Selene sighed. “You know, that with all magic there is a price to pay. Resurrection is no different. To revive someone from death, a soul must take their place. So unless, one of you feels like sacrificing themselves to revive her…” she turned to look at both of them. Endymion and Samuel’s eyes met.

“Me,” Samuel said. “Serena is my sister and I never really did right by her, I should be the one to do it.”

“No,” Endymion said with a stern voice. “You’re her brother, it should be me. I was the cause for her death. It’s only right that I should be the one that takes her place.”

“Endymion,” Samuel protested.

“No, it should be me,” he turned to Selene. “I’ll do it.”

Mirth was playing in Selene’s eyes, and she smiled. “You…” she whispered with a smile on her face. “You are so different than your grandfather. I’m glad to see that being the Source hasn’t made you completely evil.” She nodded her head. “Very well. The switch will be made. Now, Endymion, please stand to the right of me.” He walked forward, feeling the power of the circle envelop him. He stood beside Selene and waited.

“Now,” Selene told Samuel. He nodded and whispered some more phrases in Latin. Endymion felt a burning in his heart and knew that this was it. His last act was doing something for good. He was bringing back Serena.

There was a blinding flash of white and when Samuel finally could see again, he was alone. Selene and Endymion were gone. He stared at the empty circle and felt himself collapse again. He had always known since that moment when Endymion has saved him from the gambler boss demon that there was a good streak in him, and that he would do anything for his sister. But he didn’t know how far he would go until he had walked into that circle.

“I hope it works,” Samuel whispered.

 _Oh, it will,_ Selene’s voice said on the wind.

* * *

Raye, Beryl, Amy, and Michelle all sensed something later on that afternoon and rushed into the baby’s nursery to find him gone. They freaked out searching the other rooms. It was Raye who decided to search Serena’s room, even though no one had been inside since they had preserved her body the day after her death. She opened the door and found the baby.

But she also found Serena; standing with the baby curled in her arms. She looked up with tears in her eyes and smiled at the raven-haired woman. “Raye,” she whispered.

“Serena?” She asked, shock in her voice as she held onto the doorknob with all her strength. It was the only thing keeping her up. If she hadn’t been holding onto it, she would have been on the floor. “How are you alive?”

“I…” the blonde haired woman trailed off as the baby in her arms grabbed onto one of her fingers. “I don’t know. All I know was I woke up a few minutes ago, with this little guy staring at me. You don’t think…?” She trailed off again.

“No,” Raye shook her head. “Endymion bound his powers like you asked right after he was born. Something else is happening here.” At the mention of her brother, Serena looked up again.

“Endymion,” she whispered. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know. He left six months ago, and he hasn’t come back.” The blonde nodded and went back to the baby in her arms until Michelle, Beryl, and Amy came into the room. They stopped and stared too.

“Serena?” They said in unison.

“Don’t ask,” she replied to their unasked question. “I just told Raye, I don’t know how I came back. All I know is that I am.” She looked up and smiled at them all. “Now, tell me. What is my little boy’s name?”           

* * *

The first thing he was aware of when he woke up was the bright sun beating down on him. The second thing he was aware of was the fact that he had woken up. How was it possible for him to be alive? He thought that a soul had to be taken for Serena to be resurrected? Unless…it hadn’t worked.

“Oh, don’t be so glum, Endymion,” a voice said from in front of him. He looked up and was amazed to see Selene floating there. “My spell worked, but not like you thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“Give it a minute,” she said with a smile on her face. “It will come to you.”

He cocked his head to look at her as he tried to figure out what exactly she meant by that. That’s when he felt it. He was lighter somehow, almost as if… “A soul was needed to take Serena’s place, and you used my dark half to do it, didn’t you?”

“Bingo!” She exclaimed.

“Why? Why not just let me die?”

“Isn’t it obvious, End – I mean, Darien? You wanted to make the ultimate sacrifice, to bring back my dear Serena. You were no longer evil, and it was time that that weight was unburdened from your soul. So, to bring back the love of your life I tore that part away and it sufficed. Now, go on and be reunited with her and your son.” She disappeared before he could say anything.

He chuckled and looked up at the sky, “Thank you, Selene.” A warm wind rustled through his hair before he turned and found himself by the house where he had last saw Serena. He climbed the steps and knocked on the front door.

His sister was the one who answered and her eyes widened in shock when she saw who was there. “Where the hell have you’ve been, Endymion!” She screeched at him before rushing into his arms. He hugged her back, just as tightly.

“It’s a long story, but it’s not Endymion anymore,” he replied. “It’s Darien, now where is my family?” She backed out of his embrace to look at him, before she led him into the house and up the stairs. She pointed to the room where he had collapsed in grief six months ago. While holding his breath, he went to the door and opened it. There, standing in the sunlight that was streaming into the room, was the woman he loved, holding a baby in her arms.

“You have his hair,” she was whispering to it. “And you also have his eyes. What exactly did you inherit from me, Helios?” The baby turned its head and his eyes locked onto Darien’s and his breath left him. She was right, he did have his eyes.

“Dada,” he said.

Serena froze and laughed. “Oh, you inherited my brains.”

“Dada,” Helios said again his eyes still on Darien’s.

“What brought this on?” She whispered.

“Dada,” the baby pointed this time. She followed his finger and froze again. Her eyes locked on Darien’s and she _knew_ before he could cross the room. She gasped as he approached them.

“How?” She asked as he took the baby from her arms and put him in the crib. He turned back to her and approached her with hesitant steps. When he was within her reach, she tentatively reached up and traced his face with her fingertips. “How?” She asked again.

“Selene,” he replied and leaned into her touch. “She helped Samuel and me with resurrecting you. And when I sacrificed myself to take your place, she took the evil part of my soul instead.”

“So, that means, you’re no longer the Source?”

“Yes,” he said his voice husky as he drew her close to him.

“Darien?”

“Yes.” Her eyes were filled with tears and she buried her head into his chest and he simply just held her, relishing in the feeling of being close to her again. “I love you, Serena.”

“I love you, too, Darien,” she replied.

“Dada,” Helios cried from the crib.

Serena giggled. “Helios knows his father. Come, meet our son.” She pulled him to the crib and they peered into it. Darien smiled at their son.

“He’s perfect.”

“He is,” she replied. “But…I’m scared, Darien. You bound his powers but…”

“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll figure it out together.” He kissed her cheek and she turned and kissed him on the lips. He was right. Whatever was going to happen they would figure it out together.

THE END.

           


End file.
